tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51930474042523921702017-09-07T12:01:05.081-07:00Ernie and Erica's Joint AdventureErica Wisnerhttps://plus.google.com/109267019450950530497noreply@blogger.comBlogger87125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193047404252392170.post-15600993092007056832017-09-05T13:16:00.002-07:002017-09-05T13:16:19.944-07:00Smoke, Fall, and Fire<br />Where is that smoke coming from?<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-V5WE4BKZydk/Wa8DBVKyYEI/AAAAAAAAJqU/SpJs7tC0x-k5hIK_-g7ihglyZfIwer8ewCEwYBhgL/s1600/KIMG1391.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-V5WE4BKZydk/Wa8DBVKyYEI/AAAAAAAAJqU/SpJs7tC0x-k5hIK_-g7ihglyZfIwer8ewCEwYBhgL/s320/KIMG1391.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View looking west from Mt. Hull, 2pm Friday</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-R04vtPWxpds/Wa8C_LMRO6I/AAAAAAAAJqU/2CsYxXoFeaY7FLcIrg0mAupUglYPh8ibQCEwYBhgL/s1600/KIMG1395.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-R04vtPWxpds/Wa8C_LMRO6I/AAAAAAAAJqU/2CsYxXoFeaY7FLcIrg0mAupUglYPh8ibQCEwYBhgL/s320/KIMG1395.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View to our west, about 6pm Friday</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>That particular smoke is coming from the Diamond Creek fire, over a few mountains from ours. &nbsp;<br />To geek out on smoke patterns, I love this site: <a href="http://earth.nullschool.net/">earth.nullschool.net</a><br />Use the "earth" menu to see particulates, chemicals (CO shows wildfires very distinctly), hurricanes (wind speed/temperature), etc. <br />To get updates on specific fires, this is my go-to: <a href="http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/">inciweb.nwcg.gov</a><br /><br /><br />What's new with rocket mass heaters?<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/vLQTK4Gc19M/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vLQTK4Gc19M?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>PermaEthos is starting to put out some videos, showing my wrap-up of our June Appropriate Tech course in Montana.&nbsp;<br /><br />Like batch boxes? You might enjoy this one.&nbsp;<br />(It is an update on the first 8" batch box that Peter Van Den Berg ever built, the one that turned out to make less smoke emissions than a candle for most of its burn cycle.)<br /><br />The Rocket Mass Heater innovators will be gathering in Montana again in early October, for what Paul Wheaton is calling the "Jamboree."&nbsp; A lot of good folks are signed up already, but I believe there's still room if you want to come. <br /><a href="https://richsoil.com/rmh-workshop.jsp">https://richsoil.com/rmh-workshop.jsp</a> <br /><br />...<br />I am trying out my wildland fire fighter chops:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SdG8OTAFX-c/Wa8C7y2Q6TI/AAAAAAAAJqE/2XfjCiJLulwV5uykJTKNiejI_swom3PsQCLcBGAs/s1600/KIMG1393.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SdG8OTAFX-c/Wa8C7y2Q6TI/AAAAAAAAJqE/2XfjCiJLulwV5uykJTKNiejI_swom3PsQCLcBGAs/s320/KIMG1393.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br />And with the rest of my crew, learning structure fire-fighting tactics: <a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3VReLg4Evk0/Wa8DEugcaII/AAAAAAAAJqQ/mpV9BZ4ai9MSAJyTZSK3RwhcWCN5-x6lwCLcBGAs/s1600/KIMG1402.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3VReLg4Evk0/Wa8DEugcaII/AAAAAAAAJqQ/mpV9BZ4ai9MSAJyTZSK3RwhcWCN5-x6lwCLcBGAs/s320/KIMG1402.jpg" width="320" /></a><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">If you want a Mt. Hull Fire T-shirt, we're letting our crew send extras to family and friends for a $15-20 donation.&nbsp; Let me know.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">&nbsp;<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0jXtBAOybyU/Wa8EFX5-OaI/AAAAAAAAJqc/ECFhU88NPuABMiZOwRJDIxdwWxUGwuAKACLcBGAs/s1600/Medallion-MyMountain-green-on-yellow.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1461" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0jXtBAOybyU/Wa8EFX5-OaI/AAAAAAAAJqc/ECFhU88NPuABMiZOwRJDIxdwWxUGwuAKACLcBGAs/s320/Medallion-MyMountain-green-on-yellow.png" width="292" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back of 2017 T-shirt</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Part of wildland chops is, of course, filling the woodshed for winter.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I prefer to do it a year ahead, but in these extremely dry conditions, I'll take having it done before the fall rains start.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Erica Wisnerhttps://plus.google.com/109267019450950530497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193047404252392170.post-27786135111482834602017-06-15T19:23:00.000-07:002017-06-15T19:23:07.245-07:00Burn Season and No Burn SeasonStay safe this summer! <br /><br />Back home in the Okanogan Highlands, we typically enter our seasonal Burn Ban between June 1 and June 30th each year.&nbsp; (I'm writing this post just before our Montana trip, so I'm just guessing on this year's date.)&nbsp; <br /><br />The wet spring has been wonderful for us, overwhelming for some neighbors' culverts.&nbsp; Yet summer's warm winds and intense sunshine will dry that lush grass out quicker than you think. <br /><br />If you notice windy and sunny days starting to increase, consider ways to reduce fuel loads, or chop down easily-dried-out fuels like dry grass and pine branches to make a moisture-retaining mulch.<br /><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wZRKv2Bg54Y/WSOXBOJ9PVI/AAAAAAAAJiw/0FCFb0NO2jApCb5TBZoRZXlzx5H3kFLsACLcB/s1600/SAM_1133-Pine-Flames-1200pxSQ.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wZRKv2Bg54Y/WSOXBOJ9PVI/AAAAAAAAJiw/0FCFb0NO2jApCb5TBZoRZXlzx5H3kFLsACLcB/s320/SAM_1133-Pine-Flames-1200pxSQ.JPG" width="320" /></a><br /><br />Ernie and his dad ran a burn pile this spring, for the first time in several years.<br />("We've had these dry springs" says Ron, "it's raining and too wet for anything to burn, and then it's too dry [and dangerous] to burn.") <br /><br />It's amazing how fast pine needles will burn.&nbsp; They are called "one-hour fuels" for a reason - it takes an hour or less, sometimes only minutes, for them to dry out in the sun.<br />We had very heavy rains earlier this week, then hauled wet brush out to the close-cropped part of the meadow near the pond.&nbsp; This set of branches had been sitting in the sunshine, on green grass, for ... not even an hour.&nbsp; It didn't even wait for the fire's heat to dry it out - flames popped up like there was turpentine in there.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">...</div><br />As a tool-using fire ape, you are accustomed to riding around in literal chariots of fire.&nbsp; (internal combustion powered vehicles).&nbsp; Some of you probably breathe fire (smoke) on a regular basis.<br /><br />It's easy to forget the power we hold, to cause or prevent fires. <br /><br />But we also have phenomenal ability to communicate, in detail, and that gives us access to a wealth of expertise that other animals have to learn by instinct.&nbsp; We can learn from others' experience without repeating the tragic consequences.<br />&nbsp; <br />Places to get good information about the state of the weather, fire danger, and burn bans and Industrial Precautions:<br /><br /><br />What are Burn Bans?<br />Fire is fun and useful, but not always safe.&nbsp; When seasonal conditions turn dry, windy, and fire-prone, fire-fighting and land management agencies may issue a partial or total "Burn Ban."&nbsp; This may mean no fire works, no wood-fired smoker or barbecue, sing-alongs but no a campfire, and no more burn piles to dispose of yard or agricultural wastes.<br />Other times, fires may be restricted to designated (supervised or wetter-area) campgrounds, certain times of day, or certain areas in a larger park or landscape.<br /><br />Find burn bans<br />State of Washington, here: https://waburnbans.net/<br />Anywhere in the USA, try this site:&nbsp; https://firerestrictions.us/<br /><br />What are Industrial Precautions?<br />Equipment with combustion engines, electrical discharges, or even just steel blades striking rocks can start a fire in dry conditions. Industrial Precautions tell you when it's legal to operate equipment in the woods (like chain saws, track hoes, harvesters, etc). Sometimes industrial forestry activities are fine in the morning (cooler hours) but not afternoons.<br /><br />State of Washington: http://www.dnr.wa.gov/ifpl <br />For other local areas: regarding woodcutting in national forests: search the forest service site using your specific forest by name + "IFPL": https://www.fs.fed.us/<br />Or go to your local ranger station or forest service office.<br />(If you already know your geographic zone number, you can use a touch-tone phone to get Industrial Precaution updates: 1-800-527-3305.)<br /><br />Why do I care?<br />Track current wildland fires here: <a href="https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/">https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/</a> <br /><br />Sure, I'm a tree hugger.<br />I'd rather noodle around taking photos of wild flowers than drag hose through the smoke and ashes where they used to be.<br /><br />My first year in training as a fire fighter, I made this T-shirt design to sum up most of the ways I heard of fires starting.&nbsp; <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Jb4k7NTJehM/WSPE8rzfpCI/AAAAAAAAJjA/ndya2xgKe3kFMesmfQJeCkx2hHkqB8GEgCLcB/s1600/Great-No-Fire-Summer-crop.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="304" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Jb4k7NTJehM/WSPE8rzfpCI/AAAAAAAAJjA/ndya2xgKe3kFMesmfQJeCkx2hHkqB8GEgCLcB/s320/Great-No-Fire-Summer-crop.png" width="320" /></a></div>(This does not include the trailer dragging chains that made sparks that caused multiple fires, or mysterious roadside fires well outside the range most people can flick a cigarette butt, or many of the other things that happened.&nbsp; There were thousands of fire reports in our wild Highlands that year.<br /><br />Maybe a third to a half were 'natural causes' - we had a lot of dry lightning that summer.&nbsp; So rather than include more categories of human error, I felt it was only fair to mention the Excessive Smiting there at the end.)<br /><br /><br />If you would wear this T-shirt, or order a few to hang on the wall in your camp store / fire hall / school info center, please let me know!&nbsp; (You are welcome to print a copy of this design and pin it somewhere to see what kind of responses you get.)<br /><br />If you're interested, email questions@ErnieAndErica.info, or leave a message at 509-556-2054.&nbsp; The prices will depend on how many we order at once.&nbsp; Realistically we are looking at printing them mid-summer, not before the end of June.<br /><br />Here's to a great summer! Green and gold, pleasant, breathable, with distant purple mountains visible all day and clear starry night skies.<br />And every time we hear thunder, showers of pouring rain.&nbsp; :-)<br /><br />Yours,<br />Erica WisnerErica Wisnerhttps://plus.google.com/109267019450950530497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193047404252392170.post-74979531198355504672017-05-30T16:45:00.000-07:002017-05-30T16:45:00.421-07:00Mycology and Human NetworkingWhile we're hip-deep in projects in Montana, I thought I'd share this essay that I started in late winter.&nbsp; (What a gift this year's birthday inspiration has been!)&nbsp; <br /><h3>Where we are weak or broken,&nbsp;</h3><h3><i>there</i> is our best chance to connect with a greater whole</h3><br />I'm writing this post in March, but scheduling it for May. I hope you are smelling those intoxicating healthy-dirt smells as you work in your garden, hugel-kultur, or start hiking the back woods. <br /><br /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Mycelium-Running-Mushrooms-Help-World/dp/1580085792/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&amp;linkCode=li1&amp;tag=hubp0636-20&amp;linkId=e70d3a7fe3271173f26931fcf438b8eb" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&amp;ASIN=1580085792&amp;Format=_SL110_&amp;ID=AsinImage&amp;MarketPlace=US&amp;ServiceVersion=20070822&amp;WS=1&amp;tag=hubp0636-20" /></a>Paul Stamets has a lot to say about mycelial networks (the hidden webs and channels that support fungi and soil health, transporting nutrients long distances to feed mushrooms, trees, plants, and healthy soils).&nbsp; See <i>Mycelium Running</i> if you want a truly geek-out version of that story.<br /><br /><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=hubp0636-20&amp;l=li1&amp;o=1&amp;a=1580085792" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> <br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/eb/20100815_1818_Mold.jpg/220px-20100815_1818_Mold.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/eb/20100815_1818_Mold.jpg/220px-20100815_1818_Mold.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image credit: Wikipedia</td></tr></tbody></table>The image from those lessons that's resonating for me this week is the weird, observable fact that individual mycelial cells, in those networks, are busted open.<br /><br />Most plant cells, animal cells, and single-celled organisms are little sealed bags of carefully-portioned living matter, guarding their "guts" and nutrients from a presumably-hostile outside world.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6NijLWUAyfM/WQpGq-D6geI/AAAAAAAAJbI/TBMv3sYYkus14foZnqwkN037d-kjImN3gCLcB/s1600/single-cells.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6NijLWUAyfM/WQpGq-D6geI/AAAAAAAAJbI/TBMv3sYYkus14foZnqwkN037d-kjImN3gCLcB/s320/single-cells.png" width="320" /></a>A diatom, amoeba, bacterium... in fact most living cells ... have a carefully-guarded perimeter.&nbsp; Symmetrical shells, cell walls (sometimes multiple layers and armor, in the case of woody plants and diatoms), and/or additional defences like chemical-detecting cilia or toxic slime coatings.&nbsp; Yet the amoeba can just about give us dysentery, and requires pretty cushy watery conditions for active survival.<br /><br />Our own cells - muscle cells, blood cells, nerve cells - maintain a pretty good perimeter despite all the specialized ports and exchanges they make for vital nutrients and waste.&nbsp; It's not a bad recipe for staying alive.&nbsp; Much of life on earth goes with it.<br /><br />But what about alternatives?<br /><br /><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_XLTUoMHHQE/WQpGlRIfehI/AAAAAAAAJbE/2Kk7Moa3iM0KPiGy2zRbInpH6dywDEhMgCLcB/s1600/Mycelial-Cells.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_XLTUoMHHQE/WQpGlRIfehI/AAAAAAAAJbE/2Kk7Moa3iM0KPiGy2zRbInpH6dywDEhMgCLcB/s320/Mycelial-Cells.png" width="320" /></a>Mycelial cells have wide-open gaps at both ends, and their nuclei and organelles may flow back and forth along with nutrients and fluids.&nbsp; One mycelial cell alone would be a blue-plate special, spilling its guts into the cannibalistic micro-ecological void.<br /><br /><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xBHMV4m9sng/WQpKicFjCCI/AAAAAAAAJbU/nfv_z4MAzncqbz-39qBSeIScIyjlvU7lACLcB/s1600/DSCN2046-Fungal-Rounds-600px.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xBHMV4m9sng/WQpKicFjCCI/AAAAAAAAJbU/nfv_z4MAzncqbz-39qBSeIScIyjlvU7lACLcB/s200/DSCN2046-Fungal-Rounds-600px.JPG" width="200" /></a>But a mycelial cell is almost never alone.&nbsp; The mycelial networks of underground fungi can support whole forests, overcoming mineral and water shortages that would kill a crop-farmer attempting to raise the same biomass on chemically-sterilized soils.&nbsp; Some species can convert "dark, dank, and stinky" toxic petro-chemical dead zones into food for bugs, birds, and new life.&nbsp; Other specialists can turn the most rot-resistant trees into long-lasting nurse logs for huckleberries, mushroom soup, and wild honey.<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.fungi.com/tl_files/V1/images/about-pages/blog-hwarang/micrograph.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://www.fungi.com/tl_files/V1/images/about-pages/blog-hwarang/micrograph.jpg" width="228" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mycelial Network, Electron Micrograph<br />Image Credit: <br />Fungi Perfecti blog, fungi.com</td></tr></tbody></table>What you can do with a network of "broken" individual cells is pretty darn amazing.&nbsp; The more selfless each cell, the more the whole network can speed the flow of goodness.&nbsp; A mycelial network (or similar self-organizing networks like the Internet) is a pretty great way to combine limited organisms into a meta-structure.<br />We animals require specialized channels (veins and arteries) to carry blood and nutrients to individual cell areas, and when our oxygen and waste removal can't keep u with our activity we definitely feel the burn.&nbsp; Worse, we are highly susceptible to arterial bleed-out or heart attacks when one area gets damaged or blocked.&nbsp; With vast webs of cooperating cells, mycelial networks can bypass unproductive channels and grow new 'main routes'.&nbsp;<br /><br />It sounds like a pretty effective way to handle "drinking from the fire hose" rates of transfer - both of vital fluids, and of vital information.&nbsp; The Internet functions in a similar way, with many self-developing channels of information instead of a single, centralized broadcast system.<br /><br /><br />I'm using the power of mycelial networks as a metaphor for dealing with my own weak points.&nbsp; Where I have a weak point, like procrastinating my bookkeeping, or letting bedtime routines slide to finish "one more thing," it's not healthy to sit alone with it.<br /><br />I've been more or less trying to hide those weak spots, or use "willpower" to overcome them.&nbsp; Press that weak spot up against a wall, beat myself up about it, worry that all my business "guts" might spill out and show that I'm not perfect.<br /><br />Instead, lately I'm learning to show my weak points to trusted friends.&nbsp; To watch others' strengths and weaknesses, and to ask people for help in areas where they really shine.&nbsp; Or even just to ask.<br /><br />Barbara Greene recommended an excellent local accountant from Brewster, WA (a few hours south of us in the same county).&nbsp; Skirko Business Services helped me learn the WA state sales tax system for destination-based sales.<br /><br />Mariah recommended a helpful young lady as a potential virtual assistant.<br /><br />Our new neighbor gave our Facebook page a makeover, with some edited graphics so you can see our whole logo: <br />https://www.facebook.com/ErnieAndErica/ <br /><br />During my February sleepless-euphoria experience, I even broke down on the "grownups go to sleep on their own" myth, and asked my sisters, mom, and favorite aunties to take turns calling me at 9pm and "put me to bed."<br />(See earlier posts from February 2017, such as "Erica Turns 40 and Levels Up.")<br /><br />My wonderful sister Teresa reported feeling a series of emotional reactions when she saw that email:<br />"What?&nbsp; You can't do that... grown-ups can do that?<br />"How come she gets to do that?<br />"Why can't I do that?"<br /><br />Such personal coddling is NOT a long-term substitute for basic adulting.<br />After about 8 days of much-needed sisterly support and advice, I'm now back to a self-managed sleep cycle that is better than my old 'normal'.&nbsp; Because when I need to, I'm using all my sisters' tricks: everything from mindfulness, physical activity, serotonin-boosters like Vitamin D3 and melotonin, and just plain regularizing my schedule with 9-6 office hours and a 10pm bedtime.<br /><br />I notice that I didn't get here by toughing it out, or by making it Ernie's job to cover for me.&nbsp; For a health or mental crisis, it's a pretty good practice to let trusted friends know what's going on.&nbsp; It's part of the adult, responsibile communication skills package, you might say it's "<i>reaching out instead of burning out</i>."<br /><br />And I think this sort of reaching out could be good for everyday business, too.&nbsp; I'm watching for ways to build a team, where each person has good lines of communication, connection, and support at their weak points.<br /><br />So is your main ambition in life to be an "I got mine" giardia cyst, or are you ready to open up and become part of something larger?<br />... one link in acres of mycelial soil networks..<br />... a sensitive eye with a whole glowing jellyfish to call upon for response<br />... a connected link in a larger community of co-creative intelligent life?<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>I should be clear that I'm using "you" very loosely there.&nbsp;<br />Because this is probably not news to YOU, personally.<br /><br />This feels like an insight that I'm finally articulating after experiencing it most of my life.&nbsp; I have the good fortunate to have a LOT of inspiring collaborators - family, friends, and on-the-same-wavelength "strangers".<br /><br />We have always been part of this larger collaboration.&nbsp;<br />We just forget sometimes.<br /><br />Hope your week brings you plenty of wonderful reminders!<br /><br />Yours,<br />Erica<br /><br />Erica Wisnerhttps://plus.google.com/109267019450950530497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193047404252392170.post-46552453899669573932017-05-22T15:10:00.003-07:002017-05-22T15:14:18.439-07:00Getting our wild geese in a row<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AOigS_l8J3g/WSNW_qG2kuI/AAAAAAAAJiY/fPjYluYubmUZ2pVHLfQHqp62IrNxUNolACLcB/s1600/SAM_1114-gosling-LAUNCH-900px.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AOigS_l8J3g/WSNW_qG2kuI/AAAAAAAAJiY/fPjYluYubmUZ2pVHLfQHqp62IrNxUNolACLcB/s320/SAM_1114-gosling-LAUNCH-900px.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready... set... LAUNCH!&nbsp; <br />(the lead gosling is already in over its head)</td></tr></tbody></table>We are getting ready to head to Montana for most of a month.<br /><br />Arranging for things to thrive during our trip - Ernie, me, Radar, and whatever else fits in the car; and the plants and homestead while we're away.<br /><br />Taking a few more pictures of goslings before they outgrow the adorable fuzzball stage.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-l9FeYz96Vxk/WSNWtS2sLzI/AAAAAAAAJiI/QOOCPYdc3P4k6CVpKrgFjJ425kXKLk3VQCLcB/s1600/SAM_1113-follow-mama-goose.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-l9FeYz96Vxk/WSNWtS2sLzI/AAAAAAAAJiI/QOOCPYdc3P4k6CVpKrgFjJ425kXKLk3VQCLcB/s320/SAM_1113-follow-mama-goose.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All lined up and taking care of business...</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e0plw09bSEk/WSNW-hozQ8I/AAAAAAAAJiU/TIRyUxZyl3kld4x7yQiYLCu9hgcQbmfUgCLcB/s1600/SAM_1115-Flotilla-with-Goose.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e0plw09bSEk/WSNW-hozQ8I/AAAAAAAAJiU/TIRyUxZyl3kld4x7yQiYLCu9hgcQbmfUgCLcB/s320/SAM_1115-Flotilla-with-Goose.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flotilla in excellent formation</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />(Ernie is getting pretty good with that new-to-us camera, these are all his photos.)<br /><br />&nbsp; <br /><br /><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xJNP-dZYH-c/WRjpsnxwDoI/AAAAAAAAJeg/oX-2OWS3bYI7eAFX6a96m1A5n1EinLK1ACLcB/s640/permaculture-design-course-KS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xJNP-dZYH-c/WRjpsnxwDoI/AAAAAAAAJeg/oX-2OWS3bYI7eAFX6a96m1A5n1EinLK1ACLcB/s320/permaculture-design-course-KS.jpg" width="320" /></a>Paul's Kickstarter for our Permaculture Design and Appropriate Tech courses has less than 48 hours to go.&nbsp; They are installing a dedicated, separate internet link for streaming live video and chat from these courses to online supporters.<br /><br />We have been warned that with over 40 people on site for these courses, the regular internet for other business may be slow.&nbsp; So I likely won't be able to post in-person updates from Montana.&nbsp; I've pre-loaded a couple of things for you while I'm gone.<br /><br />If you'd like to follow along, now's the time to sign up for that Kickstarter before it closes.<br /><br />Here's the link: <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/paulwheaton/live-stream-permaculture-design-course-and-app-tec?ref=ap8ze3">https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/paulwheaton/live-stream-permaculture-design-course-and-app-tec?ref=ap8ze3</a><br /><br /><br />...<br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BK9tTId1d6E/WSNWu9vbFBI/AAAAAAAAJiM/lJuh-3zEGJgQTT1JkVCJhOUA1q7exjmDgCLcB/s1600/SAM_1087_LI-Form-Two-Lines-Goslings-900px.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BK9tTId1d6E/WSNWu9vbFBI/AAAAAAAAJiM/lJuh-3zEGJgQTT1JkVCJhOUA1q7exjmDgCLcB/s320/SAM_1087_LI-Form-Two-Lines-Goslings-900px.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Please form two lines as you exit the flotilla..."</td></tr></tbody></table>Ernie's dad paddled the canoe out today, and measured the deeper part of the pond.&nbsp; 7'6" of water.<br />It's within a couple of feet of the highest he's ever seen it... and probably twice as deep as I've ever seen it, as it's been during the past 6 to 10 dry years.<br /><br />Which means the gees actually have TWO islands, although the moat for the new one is a lot shallower than the old one.&nbsp; <br /><br />Yay!<br />Water in abundance, and a good place to put it.Erica Wisnerhttps://plus.google.com/109267019450950530497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193047404252392170.post-44788298964281945662017-05-16T17:51:00.001-07:002017-05-16T17:52:09.012-07:00One Week Left + More Friendly RocketeersWorth mentioning again, with one week to go:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xJNP-dZYH-c/WRjpsnxwDoI/AAAAAAAAJeg/oX-2OWS3bYI7eAFX6a96m1A5n1EinLK1ACLcB/s640/permaculture-design-course-KS.jpg" width="640" />&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/paulwheaton/live-stream-permaculture-design-course-and-app-tec?ref=ap8ze3" target="_blank">https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/paulwheaton/live-stream-permaculture-design-course-and-app-tec?ref=ap8ze3</a></div>Only seven days left on this Kickstarter for virtual access to the Permaculture Design and Appropriate Tech courses. This is a pretty amazing team coming together in one place for several glorious weeks, it will be a LOT to take in, so I'm glad it will be recorded!<br /><br />If you want a taste of all this, from the comfort of your own Internet connection, please click on the link above or below. (Full disclosure: We do get a small kickback if you use our link to pledge, so please do!)<br /><br /><a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/paulwheaton/live-stream-permaculture-design-course-and-app-tec?ref=ap8ze3">https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/paulwheaton/live-stream-permaculture-design-course-and-app-tec?ref=ap8ze3</a> <br /><br />...<br /><br />Speaking of documentation:<br />More evidence that our book is working!<br />Fouch-O-Matic gave us a lovely plug in their Rocket Mass Heater Building episode (this link should take you to about where our book comes in): <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/x2M3pMQLTYo/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/x2M3pMQLTYo?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>Later episodes document how their project worked out.&nbsp; Nice to see!<br />...<br /><br />And this week also brought a friendly note from Jami Gaither, who also supported our 2016 Kickstarter (early and often, as I recall):&nbsp; <br /><br />"<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Here's a link to a radio show we were featured on last week.&nbsp; Thought you'd like getting a shout out.&nbsp; <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&amp;q=https://beta.prx.org/stories/203798&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1494910942358000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFWNjzBfOxuBustxUdZG-YwPfAMEw" href="https://beta.prx.org/stories/203798" target="_blank">https://beta.prx.org/stories/<wbr></wbr>203798</a> &nbsp;Milt was fascinated and entranced by our RMH."</span><br /><div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Jami</span><br /><div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&amp;q=http://www.jamig4.wordpress.com&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1494910942358000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEKp5qYUljDIcCVO38nivrKmjw5xA" href="http://www.jamig4.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">www.jamig4.wordpress.com</a></span></span></div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&amp;q=https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZcwdxIbsSbKuDKyAQuuG6g&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1494910942358000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEvjnDyI4cltBJrEGAJPaaAZUbtCg" href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZcwdxIbsSbKuDKyAQuuG6g" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/<wbr></wbr>channel/<wbr></wbr>UCZcwdxIbsSbKuDKyAQuuG6g</a></span></span><br /><br />We are excited to see Jami and Dan in Montana, not this trip but in early October, for the Rocket Jamboree.&nbsp;<br />There is a super-early-bird deal going on for folks who register before they finish the official website for the event:<br /><a href="https://permies.com/wiki/63312/permaculture-projects/Rocket-Mass-Heater-Workshop-Jamboree">https://permies.com/wiki/63312/permaculture-projects/Rocket-Mass-Heater-Workshop-Jamboree</a><br /><br />Hope your year offers as many fun people and projects as ours is doing!<br /><br />Yours,<br />EricaErica Wisnerhttps://plus.google.com/109267019450950530497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193047404252392170.post-63766432459100258252017-05-14T14:35:00.000-07:002017-05-14T14:35:16.134-07:00Happy Mothers' Day 2017My mom will be giving some reflections on motherhood at <a href="http://www.motaspirit.org/" target="_blank">church</a> today.<br /><br />A few weeks ago, she asked me about whether I had any particular thoughts on the topic.&nbsp; After posting about this all last May, I didn't have a lot new to add... until I got back indoors.<br /><br />Then I went on a sort of treasure hunt, finding the places in my life that a 'mother's touch' makes things so much nicer, cosier, or more functional.<br /><br />Here are some images.&nbsp; See if you can find the little sticky hearts on particular items from my Mom, grandmas, stepmom, great-grandmother, mother-in-laws, etc.&nbsp;<br /><br />(I ran out of sticky notes before I ran out of "motherly touches," so there are some 'secret', unlabelled elements my family may recognize.)<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-79jtC7hDwPY/WQpNftULIBI/AAAAAAAAJbk/KIYxcvYVU8oNKfBeD315W9aZgLa1QZD7ACLcB/s1600/KIMG0970.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-79jtC7hDwPY/WQpNftULIBI/AAAAAAAAJbk/KIYxcvYVU8oNKfBeD315W9aZgLa1QZD7ACLcB/s320/KIMG0970.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-j9yOMr0_POc/WQpNeEk1uSI/AAAAAAAAJbg/X_g235T334IRq49pu2fU6vS3qV5KT6ISgCLcB/s1600/KIMG0971.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-j9yOMr0_POc/WQpNeEk1uSI/AAAAAAAAJbg/X_g235T334IRq49pu2fU6vS3qV5KT6ISgCLcB/s320/KIMG0971.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Hz2dm8jVl9M/WQpNkcSVRrI/AAAAAAAAJbo/40ctR0PruMknO1cZNuRmXYItaKpqVSYtQCLcB/s1600/KIMG0973.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Hz2dm8jVl9M/WQpNkcSVRrI/AAAAAAAAJbo/40ctR0PruMknO1cZNuRmXYItaKpqVSYtQCLcB/s320/KIMG0973.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wsmOwLdilFY/WQpNopAzTvI/AAAAAAAAJbs/5MIApMrnJDIu2qSP6VAq9IDgSlAalbiigCLcB/s1600/KIMG0974.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wsmOwLdilFY/WQpNopAzTvI/AAAAAAAAJbs/5MIApMrnJDIu2qSP6VAq9IDgSlAalbiigCLcB/s320/KIMG0974.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sVnBiliy-64/WQpOpqWYjXI/AAAAAAAAJb8/trZPwoGk59I-w0z0S-eIYrX3CcJT8d2mgCLcB/s1600/KIMG0977.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sVnBiliy-64/WQpOpqWYjXI/AAAAAAAAJb8/trZPwoGk59I-w0z0S-eIYrX3CcJT8d2mgCLcB/s320/KIMG0977.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-R8CL3rqIaVc/WQpOpEorhLI/AAAAAAAAJb4/Q02SQ4TpsrMJi8b9Khi9kiSSTpneHxH8ACLcB/s1600/KIMG0975.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-R8CL3rqIaVc/WQpOpEorhLI/AAAAAAAAJb4/Q02SQ4TpsrMJi8b9Khi9kiSSTpneHxH8ACLcB/s320/KIMG0975.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />If you were looking Erica Wisnerhttps://plus.google.com/109267019450950530497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193047404252392170.post-83928367489029369002017-05-10T21:23:00.003-07:002017-05-12T20:57:24.976-07:00Rocketing into Spring: Frog Ponds, Stoves, Garden Goodies<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HYcm6ztzGMQ/WRPjlk2gl8I/AAAAAAAAJd0/-yRWYVh5GYk-F8efBtVTRlCiLmmEjHjGgCLcB/s1600/KIMG0996.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HYcm6ztzGMQ/WRPjlk2gl8I/AAAAAAAAJd0/-yRWYVh5GYk-F8efBtVTRlCiLmmEjHjGgCLcB/s320/KIMG0996.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Heading outdoors for summer?<br />Consider these fun projects for outdoor kitchens, camping, and greenhouses.<br /><a href="https://permies.com/t/65450/Rocket-Spring-Combo-Pack-Ernie" target="_blank"><br /></a><a href="https://permies.com/t/65450/Rocket-Spring-Combo-Pack-Ernie" target="_blank">Rocket into Spring Combo Pack</a>:<br /><a href="https://permies.com/t/65450/Rocket-Spring-Combo-Pack-Ernie">https://permies.com/t/65450/Rocket-Spring-Combo-Pack-Ernie</a><br /><br />...<br /><br />People are not just reading our book, they are building cool things with it!<br />("My Creation... It's ALIIIIVE!!! Mwa-ha-haha....")<br /><br />Check out this cute little mini-bench project:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://mypermaculturesite.files.wordpress.com/2017/03/dsc_1375_edit3.jpg?w=1272" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://mypermaculturesite.files.wordpress.com/2017/03/dsc_1375_edit3.jpg?w=1272" width="320" /></a></div><a href="https://www.blogger.com/goog_746540470"><br /></a><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KWjgmMB1Dw4/WRNPZWgOyoI/AAAAAAAAJdY/cxbqClYVFk0qFgLv3PoXlRoSrnMv6xEIwCLcB/s1600/RocketMassHeaterBuilderGuide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KWjgmMB1Dw4/WRNPZWgOyoI/AAAAAAAAJdY/cxbqClYVFk0qFgLv3PoXlRoSrnMv6xEIwCLcB/s200/RocketMassHeaterBuilderGuide.jpg" width="159" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">RMH Builder's Guide</td></tr></tbody></table><a href="https://mypermaculturesite.wordpress.com/2017/03/05/rocket-mass-heater/">https://mypermaculturesite.wordpress.com/2017/03/05/rocket-mass-heater/</a><br /><br />(To buy <a href="http://www.newsociety.com/affil.mvc?Affil=ERWI&amp;Page=../Books/R/The-Rocket-Mass-Heater-Builder-s-Guide" target="_blank"><i>The Rocket Mass Heater Builder's Guide, <br />click HERE</i></a>.)<br /><br />We are going to be <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/paulwheaton/live-stream-permaculture-design-course-and-app-tec?ref=ap8ze3" target="_blank">video stars again in Montana</a> next month! <a href="https://ksr-ugc.imgix.net/assets/016/291/533/266f15d1623297a51c591e7359b20643_original.png?w=1024&amp;h=576&amp;fit=fill&amp;bg=000000&amp;v=1492541005&amp;auto=format&amp;q=92&amp;s=d6c84e5d651773dd5cd3dcd9b519e45e" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://ksr-ugc.imgix.net/assets/016/291/533/266f15d1623297a51c591e7359b20643_original.png?w=1024&amp;h=576&amp;fit=fill&amp;bg=000000&amp;v=1492541005&amp;auto=format&amp;q=92&amp;s=d6c84e5d651773dd5cd3dcd9b519e45e" width="320" /></a><br />This year's Permaculture and Appropriate Tech courses are sold out, so jump on Kickstarter quick if you want a taste.&nbsp; Any pledge will get you great project resources from many different instructors.&nbsp; The full-price video access options will include something over 200 hours of instruction (likely to be streaming or thumb drive, not DVDs, because the full two weeks of each course would take too many discs). <br /><a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/paulwheaton/live-stream-permaculture-design-course-and-app-tec?ref=ap8ze3">https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/paulwheaton/live-stream-permaculture-design-course-and-app-tec?ref=ap8ze3</a><br /><br /><br />The pond is filling - most water we've had in 15+ years!<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AFpe8z7WhtQ/WRPjgdVKVoI/AAAAAAAAJdw/CzUC9WQXLbEsJsXrCJOroL6UrM-7HBliwCLcB/s1600/KIMG0989.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AFpe8z7WhtQ/WRPjgdVKVoI/AAAAAAAAJdw/CzUC9WQXLbEsJsXrCJOroL6UrM-7HBliwCLcB/s400/KIMG0989.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The island, dock, and grazing horse...</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-r03fmLtbbRQ/WRPjrFuRgYI/AAAAAAAAJd4/eFEDgcolwOQI_wkE-IgREa1eB_L8j2Z_QCLcB/s1600/KIMG1009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-r03fmLtbbRQ/WRPjrFuRgYI/AAAAAAAAJd4/eFEDgcolwOQI_wkE-IgREa1eB_L8j2Z_QCLcB/s320/KIMG1009.jpg" width="180" /></a>While I was attending Flood meeting led by the county's Emergency Management Director, Ernie and Ron spent about an hour and a half sitting on the dock, letting their feet dabble in the water. <br /><br />They reported seeing a LOT of ecology in this pond.&nbsp; Even though it has been shallow for so long, the culvert allows little fish and other critters through from the lake.&nbsp; Ernie reported some little fish, maybe sticklebacks, as well frogs, newts, water-striders, boatmen (beetles that swim with legs like oars), two or three kinds of ducks, and our resident Mr. and Mrs. Goose Goose.<br /><br />(Ron has been visiting the pond regularly each morning and evening, training the dogs not to bother the Canada geese.&nbsp; As a result the geese are also now getting less panicked around us, when we mind our manners.&nbsp; And they have what passes for names, in dog-training language.)Erica Wisnerhttps://plus.google.com/109267019450950530497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193047404252392170.post-45191121621292045722017-05-02T21:56:00.001-07:002017-05-03T14:28:31.213-07:00Spring Woodshed Challenge: 2017 Part I<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UCkICkRe9U0/WQlUVnDtThI/AAAAAAAAJaA/G5uOA1287bwsnIDFo-iAq7jaBjM8BJjZwCLcB/s1600/KIMG0960.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UCkICkRe9U0/WQlUVnDtThI/AAAAAAAAJaA/G5uOA1287bwsnIDFo-iAq7jaBjM8BJjZwCLcB/s640/KIMG0960.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>How early is your wood stored and ready for winter?&nbsp; Most experts recommend a full year in advance.<br /><br />I've set myself a challenge to post pictures in spring as I improve and fill my woodshed.&nbsp; (Think of these as the "before" pictures if you like... we can go back and look at the improvements over time.)<br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PiihI6hlhLU/WQlb6_Mby8I/AAAAAAAAJac/vqM9afi5kwItLyUniZTbetL77h4mti_GgCLcB/s1600/IMG_3918.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PiihI6hlhLU/WQlb6_Mby8I/AAAAAAAAJac/vqM9afi5kwItLyUniZTbetL77h4mti_GgCLcB/s200/IMG_3918.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Year 1</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-teqRs-Pt66M/WQlcyN9IdPI/AAAAAAAAJao/vSBPbg6wYrI7owzzXPhRn6JKP97g5OmWwCEw/s1600/IMG_0104.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-teqRs-Pt66M/WQlcyN9IdPI/AAAAAAAAJao/vSBPbg6wYrI7owzzXPhRn6JKP97g5OmWwCEw/s200/IMG_0104.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Year 2 (tarpaper roof)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-glxTZOikfbI/WQlfFSaooiI/AAAAAAAAJa0/BzAAOBmwDho75sxBNEzfSBpZTlaTA1UwQCLcB/s1600/DSCN2235.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-glxTZOikfbI/WQlfFSaooiI/AAAAAAAAJa0/BzAAOBmwDho75sxBNEzfSBpZTlaTA1UwQCLcB/s200/DSCN2235.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Year 3-4: shingled</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wAo_hMEl00Q/WQlfA438KQI/AAAAAAAAJaw/MQOV7DMS5jYjvNZ1_KVBBqIXYEPl4moGgCLcB/s1600/DSCN2128-Winter-Wood-Pinecone.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wAo_hMEl00Q/WQlfA438KQI/AAAAAAAAJaw/MQOV7DMS5jYjvNZ1_KVBBqIXYEPl4moGgCLcB/s200/DSCN2128-Winter-Wood-Pinecone.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Year 4 (experimental stack)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sD-N8nlNToY/WQlcUU23_yI/AAAAAAAAJag/IcMAlnLyRDoHscTGmlDhKzEJ4WbjJVNswCLcB/s1600/DSCN2509-Woodshed-March16-600px.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sD-N8nlNToY/WQlcUU23_yI/AAAAAAAAJag/IcMAlnLyRDoHscTGmlDhKzEJ4WbjJVNswCLcB/s200/DSCN2509-Woodshed-March16-600px.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Year 5</td></tr></tbody></table><br />This year's project: a DIVIDER.&nbsp;<br /><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Kcm0OTn98CA/WQlUi3MIgzI/AAAAAAAAJaE/n3mqKy7FszAjFEt1yTJQwXk1MYTkQJqNACLcB/s1600/KIMG0979.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Kcm0OTn98CA/WQlUi3MIgzI/AAAAAAAAJaE/n3mqKy7FszAjFEt1yTJQwXk1MYTkQJqNACLcB/s320/KIMG0979.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />To stay a full year ahead (or more) on drying time, I need to be able to separate the cured wood from the drying wood.&nbsp; And I need to start stacking wet wood somewhere to dry, in fall or mid-winter, while still having full access to my cured, dry stash.&nbsp;<br /><br />I do NOT want to re-stack wood back to front every time I start processing a downed tree.<br />&nbsp;<br />The tool for this job is simple: a divider, like stalls in a barn.&nbsp;<br /><br />Now I can start the winter with two sides full.&nbsp; I use the older, drier side first.&nbsp; Whenever one side is empty, I can clean out and re-fill it.&nbsp; <br /><br />We seem to use a little over a cord per winter, and this shed is 8' by 12' inside.&nbsp; So I've made the divider a little taller than 4 feet.&nbsp; That gives us a cord+ on each side, plus 4 feet of semi-dry space for the chopping block and junk ... *ahem* ... "useful barbecue stuff".&nbsp;&nbsp;<br />Maybe I will build a "stuff shed" onto the side of the wood shed, so we have a shaded place to store gasoline and other goodies without losing wood space.&nbsp; But I suspect that no matter how many sheds you have, there will always be more stuff that drifts in there... it's like a junk magnet.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Go5KOE8MqBg/WQlUt87Mc0I/AAAAAAAAJaM/DJCnANj9EXIyiAe8EAieibAoeNluQAVZQCLcB/s1600/KIMG0980.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Go5KOE8MqBg/WQlUt87Mc0I/AAAAAAAAJaM/DJCnANj9EXIyiAe8EAieibAoeNluQAVZQCLcB/s320/KIMG0980.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The divider is ... "ghetto chic." <br />A recycled pallet would have worked, but I am "saving" my palettes for a bigger project.<br />So this divider is made almost entirely of wood scraps that are crappier than pallet wood.&nbsp; Stuff I prefer not to burn - pressure treated, OSB, painted boards.&nbsp; It is gappy to allow air flow.&nbsp;<br /><br />It is REALLY messy looking because I got fed up with trying to find where I'd squirrelled away all my outdoor tools last winter.&nbsp; (I am already a couple months behind the time I started stacking wood last year.)&nbsp;<br />I ended up taking the scrap to a borrowed saw, cutting a few useful-ish gussets (little angled chunks of OSB), and just gobbing it together.&nbsp;<br />I finally found my saw, safely tucked away in our new carport, about 20 minutes after I screwed the last board onto this mess.<br /><br />But it works!<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6f6IoHQFNvA/WQlUloOTcKI/AAAAAAAAJaI/tczTST0kKlksmzT3YI3PvRR5RaHSOezUACLcB/s1600/KIMG0935.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6f6IoHQFNvA/WQlUloOTcKI/AAAAAAAAJaI/tczTST0kKlksmzT3YI3PvRR5RaHSOezUACLcB/s320/KIMG0935.jpg" width="179" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As of May 2: <br />about 1/3 cord <br />(1 face cord).</td></tr></tbody></table>It makes it MUCH easier to quickly stack a pile of wood. And it gives me a thrill of hope to see the disappointed look on the faces of our two dogs.&nbsp;<br /><br />These two eager squeak-hunters have been tumbling the wood rows into piles, and eating chunks out of the woodshed itself, following the scent of long-gone squirrels and the sound of each others' scrabbling around.<br /><br />Maybe with this divider in place, they won't be able to mix the wet wood quite so thoroughly into the last precious stacks of dry wood.<br /><br />Maybe I'm being optimistic.&nbsp; Two 60-pound dogs, one full-blooded terrier and one mutt, can rearrange a lot of wood when they are in the throes of "squeak-hunting." <br /><br />So if I can't stop them eating my wood shed, at least I can look forward to the chewed-up corners giving a little bit of improved ventilation.&nbsp;<br /><br /><br />As long as they don't chew through the support posts, we're good.&nbsp; ;-)<br />Erica Wisnerhttps://plus.google.com/109267019450950530497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193047404252392170.post-6574874327914467712017-04-12T15:44:00.000-07:002017-04-12T16:22:48.779-07:00April 29 - Rocket Mass Heater Intro Day (annual event, Okanogan Highlands)<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j8nkRHmVZEs/WO6h83hU8UI/AAAAAAAAJXI/6ZcNI7Bx1TsRy36C7WB_PZ79ggQ-h51nACLcB/s1600/DSCN2079-Viking-Brass-1200px.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j8nkRHmVZEs/WO6h83hU8UI/AAAAAAAAJXI/6ZcNI7Bx1TsRy36C7WB_PZ79ggQ-h51nACLcB/s320/DSCN2079-Viking-Brass-1200px.JPG" width="240" /></a>Our sixth annual Rocket Mass Heater Intro Day is coming up fast.<br /><br />When: Saturday April 29th, 10:00 am- 3:00pm<br /><br />Where: Okanogan Highlands, 35 minutes from Tonasket WA.<br />(Please register for driving directions.)<br /><br />What:&nbsp; Play with fire, mud, and bricks.&nbsp; <br /><br /><br />Registration Contact:<br /><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-toETXGSnlzE/WO6hnI3WmEI/AAAAAAAAJW8/320CTZcEiSIDWSs23_dWM06PAet8DSo3gCLcB/s1600/DSC_0097_ernieandErica_cropped-90px.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-toETXGSnlzE/WO6hnI3WmEI/AAAAAAAAJW8/320CTZcEiSIDWSs23_dWM06PAet8DSo3gCLcB/s1600/DSC_0097_ernieandErica_cropped-90px.JPG" /></a>Erica Wisner, 509-556-2054, questions@ErnieAndErica.info <br /><form action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post" target="_top"><input name="cmd" type="hidden" value="_s-xclick" /><input name="hosted_button_id" type="hidden" value="5H8BKHLJ48D6W" /><br /><table><tbody><tr><td><input name="on0" type="hidden" value="Prices" />Prices</td></tr><tr><td><select name="os0"> <option value="Paid-In-Full">Paid-In-Full $25.00 USD</option> <option value="Youth (50% off)">Youth (50% off) $12.50 USD</option> <option value="Family of 4 (20% off)">Family of 4 (20% off) $60.00 USD</option> <option value="Reserve My Spot">Reserve My Spot $10.00 USD</option> <option value="EMS/Fire/crew (free)">EMS/Fire/crew (free) $0.00 USD</option></select> </td></tr></tbody></table><input name="currency_code" type="hidden" value="USD" /><input alt="PayPal - The safer, easier way to pay online!" border="0" name="submit" src="https://www.paypalobjects.com/en_US/i/btn/btn_paynowCC_LG.gif" type="image" /><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://www.paypalobjects.com/en_US/i/scr/pixel.gif" width="1" /><br /><br /><br />Price:<br />-$25 per adult, $12.50 for youth*,<br />FREE to emergency responders** <br />(*Youth: age 15 and under; those under 12 please bring a participating adult)<br />(**Any emergency responders (fire fighters, EMS, etc) whether volunteer or professional may register and attend at no charge.) <br /><h3>The Details:</h3>What is a Rocket Mass Heater? <br /><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PTu23xzf56Y/WO6imYFT_9I/AAAAAAAAJXg/RuCrDB_rtykN4GXrB_qk1BePbs59TUi7ACLcB/s1600/RocketMassHeaterBuilderGuide.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PTu23xzf56Y/WO6imYFT_9I/AAAAAAAAJXg/RuCrDB_rtykN4GXrB_qk1BePbs59TUi7ACLcB/s200/RocketMassHeaterBuilderGuide.jpg" width="159" /></a>Rocket mass heaters are a clean-burning, super-efficient, affordable way to heat with wood.&nbsp; They are also a fascinating real-life example of some very weird fire science. <br /><br />Make flames burn upside-down and sideways.&nbsp; Learn clean burn methods, so you can safely use ladder fuels as free firewood.&nbsp; Peek inside the smoke-eating dragon that lets us heat on 1 to 2 cords of wood per winter at 3200 feet.</form><form action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post" target="_top"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/30rPCRB5e-s/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/30rPCRB5e-s?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe>&nbsp;</form><form action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post" target="_top">Non-Suicidal Wood Heat:</form>At least one fire marshall has called rocket mass heaters "the first non-suicidal wood stove I've seen."&nbsp; Burning all the smoke not only gives much higher efficiency, it helps prevent chimney fires.&nbsp; Storing heat in a masonry bench creates overnight comfort without the risks and hassles of overnight fire.&nbsp; While they are not yet legal everywhere, they're increasingly popular as a common-sense alternative, and many jurisdictions will permit them under masonry heater codes or local rules.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/tHdl2gybP08/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tHdl2gybP08?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div><br /><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yVGcyXfoVo0/WO6sO6gZM4I/AAAAAAAAJX4/0mGVFlyhQ_Q_9zlWAZwNiHynd9opqtVmACLcB/s1600/IMG_4054.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yVGcyXfoVo0/WO6sO6gZM4I/AAAAAAAAJX4/0mGVFlyhQ_Q_9zlWAZwNiHynd9opqtVmACLcB/s200/IMG_4054.JPG" width="150" /></a>Fire Science, Survival Skills, and "Magic" Tricks:<br /><form action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post" target="_top">Even if you don't care about safety or efficiency... there's something awfully fun about upside-down fire siphons, flame vortexes, and the ability to throw together a sneaky stove that is virtually undetectable. </form><form action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post" target="_top"><br />What Would We Actually DO on Saturday?<br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/DYIkKYf3yco/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DYIkKYf3yco?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe>This is our local 'taster' to share our work with friends and neighbors.&nbsp; You will not see everything we offer in a full 3-day weekend builders' workshop (nor pay the $350-500 sticker price).&nbsp; Instead, <br />- inspect and run an already-working rocket mass heater<br />- choose from a selection of live, hands-on practice projects.<br /><br />The specific hands-on activities are chosen by the group on that specific day.&nbsp; We have materials, tools, and fire-safe space on site for a wide range of practice activities and small projects.<br />&nbsp; <br /><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mvpw5F-SktU/WO6scjkE-DI/AAAAAAAAJX8/E74NAbsdDgw-P9BMTOGaE5-6JPbYuMwyQCLcB/s1600/DSCN1979-Caddisfly-bricks-600px.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mvpw5F-SktU/WO6scjkE-DI/AAAAAAAAJX8/E74NAbsdDgw-P9BMTOGaE5-6JPbYuMwyQCLcB/s200/DSCN1979-Caddisfly-bricks-600px.JPG" width="200" /></a>Past groups have built modified full-scale rocket fireboxes, split up into teams for survival fire-making or primitive stove cooking contests, learned Erica's favorite green-fire magic trick, and built practice projects with non-toxic fire clay mortars and fire brick.&nbsp; This year, we could do any of the above, or something else.<br /><br />You will always get a chance to see fire burn upside-down and sideways, and you will have the option to make it do tricks yourself.<br /><br />What to Bring/Prepare:<br />All necessary tools and materials will be provided.&nbsp; <br />- Personal Gear: Wear your grubbies.&nbsp; You may wish to bring rain gear, work gloves, and/or boots for muddy and sooty conditions.<br />- Food and Drink:&nbsp; Bring pot-luck lunch/snacks. We'll provide at least one main dish, and coffee/hot water will be on from 9:30 am before class starts.<br />- Road Conditions: Consider 4WD, AWD, and printing the directions.&nbsp; When you register with a valid email address, we'll send you driving directions following the local school bus route.&nbsp; These are gravel roads, generally well graded (by Highlands standards, anyway). Your GPS may mislead you onto ill-maintained back roads at your peril.&nbsp; Cell phones have poor reception up here.&nbsp; Please let us know if you'd prefer to carpool or have someone shuttle you up from Tonasket or Ellisford.&nbsp; <br />- Emergency Responders: to attend free, please wear your colors (hat, shirt, etc) or bring a badge to show at check-in.<br />- Pocket Money: We will have books and videos available for sale, if you're looking for training or self-study resources.<br /><br />About the Hosts:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VQrXdBzGe3Q/WO6hs3BM6xI/AAAAAAAAJXA/Z2fjtOcIEkwqsATF7uG-as0yU25T63MhwCLcB/s1600/DSC_0097_ernieandErica_BEST.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VQrXdBzGe3Q/WO6hs3BM6xI/AAAAAAAAJXA/Z2fjtOcIEkwqsATF7uG-as0yU25T63MhwCLcB/s320/DSC_0097_ernieandErica_BEST.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />This private event is hosted by Ernie and Erica Wisner of Wisner Resources, and not sponsored by any agency or fire district.&nbsp; Fire demonstrations will be small scale, suitable for family and public participation as entertainment/cooking/campfire activities.<br /><br />&nbsp;For questions, larger groups, or for wait list registration after the event is sold out, please email us at questions@ErnieAndErica.info, or call 509-556-2054.&nbsp; <br /><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lAztFYXsV8Y/WO6htafn9PI/AAAAAAAAJXE/T6TLEQYsyVEUPelTX0Iz2dcceyiwZYd3ACLcB/s1600/WisRes-EE-Banner-320px.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lAztFYXsV8Y/WO6htafn9PI/AAAAAAAAJXE/T6TLEQYsyVEUPelTX0Iz2dcceyiwZYd3ACLcB/s1600/WisRes-EE-Banner-320px.png" /></a><br /><input name="cmd" type="hidden" value="_s-xclick" /><input name="hosted_button_id" type="hidden" value="5H8BKHLJ48D6W" /><br /><table><tbody><tr><td><input name="on0" type="hidden" value="Prices" />Prices</td></tr><tr><td><select name="os0"> <option value="Paid-In-Full">Paid-In-Full $25.00 USD</option> <option value="Youth (50% off)">Youth (50% off) $12.50 USD</option> <option value="Family of 4 (20% off)">Family of 4 (20% off) $60.00 USD</option> <option value="Reserve My Spot">Reserve My Spot $10.00 USD</option> <option value="EMS/Fire/crew (free)">EMS/Fire/crew (free) $0.00 USD</option></select> </td></tr></tbody></table><input name="currency_code" type="hidden" value="USD" /><input alt="PayPal - The safer, easier way to pay online!" border="0" name="submit" src="https://www.paypalobjects.com/en_US/i/btn/btn_paynowCC_LG.gif" type="image" /><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://www.paypalobjects.com/en_US/i/scr/pixel.gif" width="1" /><br /><br />To look for a full-length workshop this year, please visit <a href="http://www.ernieanderica.info/upcoming_workshops">http://www.ErnieAndErica.info/upcoming_workshops</a>.</form>Erica Wisnerhttps://plus.google.com/109267019450950530497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193047404252392170.post-46641557423197788862017-04-04T15:32:00.000-07:002017-04-04T15:32:49.832-07:00April DIY - 2012 experimental Rocket Cooker / Canner / ForgeSo as I'm moving our digital store from Scubbly (now sadly closed) to the Permies.com digital marketplace, I'm coming across all kinds of memories and fun projects.<br /><br />this is one from 2012, where we accepted Paul's dare to out-fry a propane-powered turkey fryer:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J556zzdl7m8/WOQciNnHrkI/AAAAAAAAJWg/k_R2mgYo1fQQxagvY6PRw_4ZifPu6u4tACLcB/s1600/Rocketforge-Fryer.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J556zzdl7m8/WOQciNnHrkI/AAAAAAAAJWg/k_R2mgYo1fQQxagvY6PRw_4ZifPu6u4tACLcB/s320/Rocketforge-Fryer.png" width="320" /></a></div>&nbsp;It turns out a propane turkey fryer is a little more than an ordinary propane camp stove.&nbsp; It sounds kind of like a jet engine.&nbsp; Our ears were ringing when we turned it off.&nbsp; So it took us a couple of tries, and we did end up insulating the pot lid as well as the stove and pot-skirt.<br /><br />Cheating?<br />well, if the propane stove makers had bothered to "cheat" by improving their efficiency even 25%, they could easily have made it a lot harder to beat.&nbsp; We turned their fryer on full-bore, and made ourselves beat it at its highest setting.<br />So whether or not it's 'cheating' to use old familiar tricks like insulation and heat conservation, I still do it, and they don't. (I sometimes leave a spare pot-holder over the lid on pots at home, now, too.)<br />So if anybody is upset that we 'cheated,' they are welcome to cheat too.<br /><br />Afterwards, the cook found she had to put a grill, and some bricks, on top of the stove to vent off some excess heat in order to use it for ordinary cooking.&nbsp; ("ordinary" in this context being 4-gallon pots of soup or chili for 20 people.)<br /><br />We wondered if you could call it a rocket forge.<br />So we tried blacksmithing with it:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-P4TVuMzqSuM/WOQch0IlRfI/AAAAAAAAJWc/uIiqKWMoZUsr8Ry9f406Zkcb33R_0aflACLcB/s1600/rocketforge-wire.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-P4TVuMzqSuM/WOQch0IlRfI/AAAAAAAAJWc/uIiqKWMoZUsr8Ry9f406Zkcb33R_0aflACLcB/s320/rocketforge-wire.png" width="320" /></a></div>Answer: yes. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yu_jS5zzH3c/WOQchgqIggI/AAAAAAAAJWY/If8F8A8tl0A9a1l3se55fAw1mbf8cBIhgCLcB/s1600/Rocketforge.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yu_jS5zzH3c/WOQchgqIggI/AAAAAAAAJWY/If8F8A8tl0A9a1l3se55fAw1mbf8cBIhgCLcB/s320/Rocketforge.png" width="320" /></a></div>Ernie made me a few pot hooks, and though we didn't have any real flux, we got indicators that we might be at forge-welding temperatures.<br /><br />This design could be a fun one to modify with a pass-through for working on leaf springs and stuff like that.<br /><br />Our favorite wood mix was a blend of dense, dry wood (we got some black locust scraps, but oak or madrone should work about the same), along with ordinary softwood like pine.&nbsp; Using cut wood or large kindling, 1" to 2" pieces, seemed to provide the best high-intensity heat from this small firebox.<br /><br />We're putting our notes and some diagrams up on Permies.com as a plan for sale, and will be releasing them to our 2016 Kickstarter supporters with this spring's DIY updates.<br /><br />Here are the threads:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://sites.google.com/a/ernieanderica.info/www/_/rsrc/1353725752088/picturesampler/CanningForge-page001.png?height=320&amp;width=226" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://sites.google.com/a/ernieanderica.info/www/_/rsrc/1353725752088/picturesampler/CanningForge-page001.png?height=320&amp;width=226" /></a></div><br />Plans for sale: https://permies.com/t/64465/Rocket-Canner-Fryer-Forge-Draft<br /><br />Discussion from the 2012 workshop and video fans:<br />https://permies.com/t/18988/Erica-Wisners-Rocket-Canning-Frying <br /><br />Erica Wisnerhttps://plus.google.com/109267019450950530497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193047404252392170.post-55375619291934012042017-03-09T16:45:00.000-08:002017-03-09T16:45:11.165-08:00New Fee Schedule for 2017We are moving away from &quot;Squishy Mud 101&quot; workshop projects, and focusing more on the highest and best use of our skills and experience.<br><br>And I am finally taking some excellent advice from some long-suffering partners and advisers (including Ernie and Paul).<br><br>- I am recruiting office support, including a virtual assistant, task assistants, an accountant, and special &quot;scholarship funds&quot; managed through colleagues&#39; well-run offices. <br><br>- I am working with several primary teams, focusing my energies near home(s) and proven collaborators, and turning down projects that require me to hold someone&#39;s hand through their own, preventable crisis.<br><br>- I am raising my rates. Everyone who already has an existing, scheduled engagement for 2017 will get the agreed-on services at the agreed-on rates. Others wishing to hire us, please see:<br><br>Please see <a href="http://www.ernieanderica.info/wisnerresources">http://www.ernieanderica.info/wisnerresources</a><br> for details on all of this, including &#39;help wanted&#39; and &#39;gots and wants&#39; exchanges. <br><br>The draft rates for 2017 are:<br><div><span style="font-size: medium;">- Projects, Your Way: $10,000+ </span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">- Projects, Our Way: $3,000+<span style="font-size: small;"><br></span>- Projects, Lead/Train Your Crew: $1000 per day + expenses</span><div><span style="font-size: medium;">- Public Events and Custom Coursework: $500-1000 per half-day + x.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">- Private Consulting/Tech Support: $150/hour + x.<br><span style="font-size: small;"><i>($90/hour for flexible clients, $300 base rate/deposit for preliminary consulting).</i></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">- <a href="http://www.ernieanderica.info/shop">Self-Study Resources:</a> $3-50 per book, plan, video, or online course</span><br><br>How can you Justify Such Fees?!?<br><br>Paul Wheaton&#39;s personal practice for private consulting is: Any time somebody actually pays my listed rate, I double it. He is currently at $500/hour. <br>(He prefers to make his advice available through his &#39;home turf&#39; of online forums at www.permies.com, or through public speaking, podcast, and online video formats that give broader value for his time. www.richsoil.com, www.permies.com)<br><br>I like talking with people, and I love giving advice, and I don&#39;t love juggling AV tech to make podcasts. <br><br>So it&#39;s time to stop competing with my students, and with the YouTube self-help audience. <br><br>I liked what three other respected colleagues had to say, regarding the necessity for contract professionals to charge seemingly-prohibitive hourly rates, and restrict their time to those who make it worthwhile:<br><br>Art Ludwig / Oasis Design: &quot;Send me $300 and I&#39;ll think about it&quot;<br>http://oasisdesign.net/design/consult/inquiry.htm<br>http://oasisdesign.net/design/consult/ <br><br>Joseph Lstiburek / Building Science Corporation:<br>&quot;Sonny, when you learn your high school physics, you can come and sit with the big boys.&quot; (See his &#39;contact&#39; form for a concise brush-off of casual/non-business inquiries.)<br>https://buildingscience.com/documents/insights/bsi-065-i-was-younger-then<br><br>Jim Buckley / Buckley Rumford Fireplaces:<br>Finish today&#39;s reading with a wicked-fun plumber/lawyer joke:<br>http://www.rumford.com/justifyfee.html<br><br><br><br><a href="http://ernieanderica.blogspot.com/2017/03/new-fee-schedule-for-2017.html#more">Read more »</a>Erica Wisnerhttps://plus.google.com/109267019450950530497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193047404252392170.post-86935223927961130402017-03-06T17:34:00.005-08:002017-03-10T01:58:14.037-08:00Heating Safety Smoke Check - 2017 Draft 1<br />With the EPA de-funded this year, do we need stop-gap measures to alleviate public safety issues formerly regulated or enforced by EPA?<br /><br />What if we could use intelligent rules of thumb instead of elaborate or expensive experimental mandates?<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/DYIkKYf3yco/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DYIkKYf3yco?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div><br />If you have never seen fire burn this clean, and my team can build this fox stove in a morning with a shovel, you might have something more to learn about fire.<br /><br />Here's a proposed rule set for community self-regulation of solid fuel heating:<br /><br />Safety check:<br />1) Not more than 20 minutes of visible smoke.&nbsp; A concerned neighbor can document this with a cell phone camera; trained responders can learn to distinguish problem smoke from clean steam/exhaust in about 20 minutes.&nbsp; Photo or video evidence of unacceptable smoke in violation of the 20-minute standard, verified by a trained smoke reader, triggers an inspection request.<br />(This is not just about air quality, it's about creosote and chimney fires.) <br /><br />2) Safety inspection - this could be done by a chimney sweep, fire investigator, or any peer-qualified local inspector who can read smoke sign and building details at an expert level.&nbsp; (Elected or appointed civil servants are not intrinsically qualified to judge expertise, but may conduct background checks and other due diligence).<br />- Chimney(s) safe and operable, no signs of past or future chimney fires<br />- Heater(s) safe and operable, no signs of over-fire, under-fire, or ill repair<br />- Clearances appear adequate (if not, mark with 165 F <a href="http://www.omega.com/pptst/OMEGAMARKER.html" target="_blank">calibrated</a> <a href="http://www.markal.com/temperature-indicators/thermomelt-/" target="_blank">crayon</a>)<br />- Operator demonstrated acceptable skills and practices for &lt;20 minute standard of clean, safe fire<br />(check night-time burn practices if applicable)<br /><br />If any points do not pass initial inspection, schedule a follow-up inspection in 40 days, or before the start of the next heating season.<br /><br />3) 40-day Follow-Up Inspection: Repeat initial inspection, with special attention to previous problems.&nbsp; Because operator practices may have changed, re-inspect all points to ensure no new problems have inadvertently been started.<br /><br />4) Repeat Offenders / Non-compliance / 3rd strike<br />Operators not able to safely heat with solid fuels may be a danger to themselves and others.&nbsp; Yet keeping one's family warm in the winter is a basic human right.<br /><br />Communities need to find their right balance on the local level.&nbsp; Encourage voluntary compliance, create incentives for good practice, and carefully work on effective tough-love policies: when to engage social services, cease-and-desist orders, fines or cost-of-response billing, or prosecute criminal non-compliance using existing laws and rules.<br /><br />...<br /><br />Building professionals, fire professionals, home-owners, and community safety volunteers:&nbsp; What do you think?&nbsp; Could this work?<br /><br />Comments welcome below, or email erica at ErnieAndErica dot info.<br />Please include the phrase "Smoke Check" in the subject or body of your email.<br /><br />For a wealth of detail on the why/how/resources behind my proposal:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.ernieanderica.info/wisnerresources/safeheat">http://www.ernieanderica.info/wisnerresources/safeheat</a><br /><br />I'm also thinking of putting together some excerpts from our book and other good sources about what exactly is involved in building a good chimney, safe wood stove installation, etc.&nbsp; Welcome offers from other authors for good references.<br /><br />What do you think? Erica Wisnerhttps://plus.google.com/109267019450950530497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193047404252392170.post-42509544163248297662017-03-05T01:33:00.000-08:002017-03-10T01:57:13.568-08:00What Died In Here? Off-Grid Kitchens #1, DIY 2017My family knows that I am no stranger to kitchen "experiments," those little collections of fuzzy former food that inhabit the back corners of a distracted life.<br /><br />Even as I've become more responsible, there are still times when the dishes just don't get done on schedule.<br /><br />With much gratitude and appreciation for Ernie and his dad who cooked for me while I was sick and sleep-deprived through most of February, I spent this early March evening in rubber gloves and a bandanna-style dust mask, disposing of some seriously toxic, dearly-departed, former food.<br /><br /><br />In the spirit of "write what you know"...<br /><br /><h3>Safe Disposal of Biohazards in Off-grid and Rural Life:</h3><br />A "biohazard" in this context could be toxic rotten food waste, diapers or vomit from a violently ill child, or other nasty by-products of human domestic life. A general rule is that the closer it is to human - actual human excrement, food that contains meat or animal proteins - the more dangerous it may become to fellow humans as it rots.<br />For this article, I will be focusing on the food-waste biohazard category, with a few digressions to excrement or plague wastes. (Thankfully, we two adults can mostly keep our poop in the crapper in our current phase of life.)<br /><br />Good kitchen practices can prevent a lot of "biohazard" food waste from ever happening, but sometimes it does happen.&nbsp; There's a sudden illness, and the main kitchen person can't cope with dishes for a few weeks.&nbsp; There is a family medical crisis or work opportunity, and you have to leave NOW for an indeterminate time without cleaning out the fridge.&nbsp; Or there is a funeral or elder-care crisis, and well-meaning friends bring endless casseroles... many people find it easier to drop off a quick meal, or to accept a delicious dish, than to arrange a mutually acceptable time to help with the dishes and disposal.&nbsp; Our dirty dishes, like our dirty laundry, can become an intimate embarrassment.<br />&nbsp; Those who repeatedly care for elders and the bereaved learn discreet, considerate tactics for fridge-cleanout and dish duties.&nbsp; Often, these chores are undertaken on behalf of the whole loving support community by just a few, well-trained care givers who can maintain the owners' kitchen as they like it. <br /><br />For those who are able-bodied and just dealing with an "oopsie," what do you do with that absolutely disgusting mess? <br /><br /><h4>A) Down the Sewer:</h4>If you live on municipal sewer, you can dump a lot of crap down a dispose-all and think it "goes away."&nbsp; As far as your life is concerned, it does.<br /><br />&nbsp; Unfortunately, the processed sewage often can't be used safely in the cycle of life and soil-building, because municipal sewage contains a mix of organic nutrients, toxic chemicals, and household medical wastes.<br />&nbsp; Drain cleaners, garage and shop wastes, pesticides and pest poisons, and expired medications are among the things that I often doubt should be allowed in the hands of the public.&nbsp; Certainly I'd prefer that the public be informed and responsible enough to dispose of them properly, not dump them in the "away" without further thought.<br />&nbsp; It's worth investigating your local the sewage treatment facility on a school trip or business tour, to learn if the disposal is being handled to your satisfaction, and whether/how the treated residues are used for agriculture.&nbsp; You may learn a lot.&nbsp; Some areas still have problems with combined-sewer outflow to rivers, overflow systems, leaks, etc; it takes a lot to build, maintain, and expand a city sewer system and keep it working properly.<br /><br />&nbsp; Those concerns aside, for those people who have access, <i>disposing to sanitary sewer is the safest option for noxious human waste</i>. This is exactly why sanitary sewage systems were designed. <i>As long as they're working properly,</i> sanitary sewer systems can handle any formerly-edible and sufficiently runny biohazards you care to flush their way.<br /><br /><h4>B) Sanitary Septic:</h4>If you live on sanitary septic, you learn to be a little bit careful.&nbsp; "Away" is very close - in your own backyard - and if there's a problem, you will likely be the one dealing with the pump-out bills, plumbing emergencies, soggy lawn, or sick family members due to well contamination or leachate exposure.<br /><br />On septic, you learn to check cheap toilet paper to see if it's septic-approved.&nbsp; You learn exactly how much water it takes to use the Dispose-All, or whether it's not really an option in your particular rural home with its particular plumbing.&nbsp; You may begin to think about your drain-cleaning chemicals in new terms - because if you "kill" the septic tank, it's an expensive process to remove the chemically-toxic, sterilized gunk and start over with a viable population of microbes for biological pre-processing of your sanitary waste.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <i>Most household biological waste can safely be disposed of to sanitary septic,</i> even sick-people poop and moldy fridge-experiments.&nbsp; The most common method is careful portioning of well-broken-down goop, directly into the toilet.&nbsp;&nbsp; (Exceptions might include chunks too large for your toilet or plumbing, chemically-contaminated mixtures, and knowing your system's capacity so that you stay within the tank and leach field capacity at any given time.)<br /><br /><h4>C) DIY Trash Hauling, Compost, and Scavenger Bait:</h4>If you live without trash hauling or DIY trash service, you may have older "kitchen experiments" than someone whose sins are hauled away once a week.<br /><br />On our wintry mountain, the trash trailer itself attracts carrion-eating wildlife, like bears, ravens, and coyotes. During the "hungry months" of late winter, the latter two critters have nothing better to do than track interesting smells for miles.&nbsp; Whether you regard them as fellow-beings, or as vermin, the fact remains that setting up an inadvertent people-food-feeder is not healthy for you or them.<br /><br />In our neighborhood, there are definitely people who poison or shoot scavengers. (<i>I wonder if some livestock-harassment reports may be in consequence of these canny scavengers changing habits after some of their mates sickened on poisoned bait? Smart scavengers, who are forced by fear of poison to leave their normal "job" of carrion-disposal, might quite reasonably turn to living prey in spring's lamb-and-faun season.&nbsp; Ernie's default answer to "evil wildlife attacked my lambs" is, </i>"Where is your lambing barn?<i>"</i>)<br />Regardless of mechanism or blame, is no kindness to either wildlife or neighbors to let mountain scavengers get a taste for people-food.<br />&nbsp; <br />Therefore, most of the year, we bury our stinky waste (stuff too far gone to feed the dogs).&nbsp; I dig far enough down that the dogs don't dig it up, but the trees can still tap the juices.&nbsp; We keep this to a minimum - once or twice a year perhaps - by regular refrigerator rotations when we are home, and by giving the dogs as many 'treats' as we can during routine meals and cleanup.&nbsp; For example as I'm putting away tonight's leftovers, I may give the dogs some 2-day-old leftovers to make room in the fridge.<br />The dogs get their 'taste' only after the two-legged people are done eating, and are expected to politely lie down without begging during our meals.<br />(For key differences between healthy people food and healthy dog food, ask your vet.)<br /><br />Foods that the dogs are not interested in, like fruit and vegetable scraps, firewood debris and dog-chewed stick mulch, goes in the compost.&nbsp; Our main compost is in a metal rotating bin.&nbsp; There is a compromise between close enough to the house for winter access, and far enough to keep us and the dogs safe from a visiting bear.&nbsp; Currently, the winter compost bin is inside the carport, so I avoid carrion-like compost.&nbsp; A coyote might be hungrier than my dog and more likely to eat fruit, but the fruit in my compost is still not as smelly or slow to break down as the meatier materials.<br /><br />I've only once seen a bear visit that metal-bin compost (in 6 years on this same site, practicing roughly these same methods).&nbsp; That one night, I dropped in a bagful of frost-applesauced apples, and Ernie dropped in a stale pork chop, and we both managed to leave the lid off afterwards.&nbsp; You can hardly blame the bear for thinking it was invited to the feast.&nbsp; With more politeness than some of our human neighbors, the shaggy bear shook its head and reluctantly wandered off as soon as I made my objections known.&nbsp; <br />(<i>If you can remember your first time encountering a bear within 20 feet of your front door, or camping tent, while unarmed yourself, you can probably guess how I made my objections known.&nbsp; I seem to have managed to fit in 4 of the 5 most common methods used by upright primates, learned and instinctive, although I'm still no good at girl-style screaming.</i><br /><i>Interestingly enough, after all my excited ape-like hooting and tool-user hysterics, what finally sent the bear on its way was a stern verbal message:&nbsp;</i><br /><i>"This is not a good habit for bears.&nbsp; This is your mountain, but we can't have you eating off people-food.&nbsp; You go live your own life, go well, go on now."</i>)<br /><br />The point is, bear encounters are largely avoidable.&nbsp; It's hardly fair to blame the bear, or coyote, or raven, or squirrel, for thinking that a yard piled with her choice foods means she's welcome there.<br />Some communities may create edible-trash dump sites, away from family homes, where scavengers are tolerated.&nbsp; If your community as a whole doesn't share such a tolerance policy, <b>please don't bait the animals</b>. Especially, please don't bait animals in a scoff-law manner that goes against accepted local practice.&nbsp; Both bleeding-heart sentimentalists and vengeful poisoners create problems for their mainstream neighbors, as wild animals are diverted from healthy habits into high-risk or harmful ones.<br /><h4></h4><h4><span style="font-size: small;">D) Greywater Kitchen:</span></h4>If you use a greywater kitchen sink (as we do), or a camp kitchen where the "sink" is a section of meadow or woods, you learn to be even more careful than with sanitary septic.&nbsp; Formal greywater systems often have sophisticated ways to keep people from direct contact with greywater in the landscape, and these systems can be overwhelmed by chunks or improper use.<br /><br />I generally have cute warning signs on my kitchen sink discussing what is acceptable.&nbsp; These notes are only a tiny fraction of the internal monologue with myself, about the level of responsibility involved in direct-to-woods disposal from my kitchen.<br /><br />I think of greywater as an honor system where I agree to use this drain ONLY for things that will be a gift, not a curse, to all those who dwell outside my walls.&nbsp; That includes me and my human friends, my dogs and horse who have to deal with visiting predators, the wildlife that has to deal with human intolerance, and the plants and fungi that may appreciate nutrients but can be killed by excess of salt or other human-favored ingredients.<br /><br />&nbsp; To live on this honor system, you really have to pay attention to where you are, and what are the needs and excesses of the land.<br />For maritime/high rainfall areas, your plants may be salt-tolerant and better able to tolerate high concentrations of table salt.&nbsp; However, phosphorus, nitrogen, detergents, and other special nutrients may cause unhealthy algae blooms or toxic contamination of sea life and estuaries.<br />For arid/inland areas, sea salts and other solubles like boron may be land poison, where phosphorous or biodegradable detergents might have a lower impact or even be a positive nutrient.<br />There is a lot more to it than that. To calibrate your sense of what's needed by your own land, most extension agencies offer free or low-cost soil analysis.&nbsp; They may also have pamphlets or research papers about common local soil types and soil deficiencies.&nbsp; In non-agricultural settings, after doing what homework I can, I often find that the woo-woo method of "ask the trees what they need" gives surprisingly reasonable suggestions.&nbsp; My method for working with complex systems involves a combination of peer-reviewed research; lifelong, iterative learning; and well-calibrated intuition.<br /><br />After all that theory, what does it look like in practice?<br /><br /><h4><span style="font-size: small;">Today's Fridge De-tox: Here's what I did.</span></h4>1) Warned the husband, stuffed him and the puppies with healthy food until they couldn't eat another bite, so I'd have room to work.<br /><br />2) Find my dishwashing gloves, apron, and face-mask for the moldy stuff.&nbsp; (What grows on rotting meat, dairy, or fish residues is a meat-eating microbe, and may include pathogens that can live on your own internal tissues and cause infections. In any case I have a mold sensitivity.)<br />- Protect any open wounds (or consider waiting until they heal).<br /><br />3) Get out a bunch of recycled zip-loc and bread bags.&nbsp; This winter emergency disposal situation will be handled, regrettably, by a special trip to the landfill transfer station. At other times, when the ground is not covered in 2' of snow, I might give the dearly departed food wastes a decent burial. <br /><br />4) Prep the kitchen with clean hands:<br />- Ensure there is room in my trash, compost, and liquid-waste transfer bucket.<br />- Find disposable scrubbies - today it was some well-used mesh onion bags, and a charred cotton rag.&nbsp; Other times I've used paper towels.<br /><br />5) Begin assembling and sorting the rotten stuff.<br />- Vegetable-based stuff (like tomato sauce) goes in the compost, with brown matter (floor sweepings from the woodstove area) to cover.<br />- Meat-type stuff (stews, fish in cream sauce): Use the first bag to scoop it up, then double-bag.&nbsp; Use any contaminated plastic containers as bin-liners to further protect from breakage and scent-release.<br /><br />6) Liquid Waste Triage/Pre-Wash:<br />- Use disposable scrubbies/rags/paper towels to remove any remaining solid residues. <br />- Rinse containers in the sink.&nbsp; If on sanitary septic, just rinse away.<br />I did not allow water to go down greywater drain (my greywater empties near the house where I do not want to attract coyotes for possible conflict with my dogs).<br />-&nbsp; Pre-wash triage: Get sterilizable containers to the point where the bad smells are mostly gone, and dispose of plastic bins and bakery-bins in trash as protectors for bagged-nasties.<br />- Clean gloves, scrubbies, other cleaning supplies, and sink basin to the point of tolerable contamination.&nbsp; Then dispose of black water if needed.<br /><br />7) Black Water/Liquid Waste Disposal:<br />- If using a camp kitchen or greywater, the nutrient-rich black water may need separate disposal (similar to the cat-holes or composting you may use for humanure/poop disposal) <br />- For today, I collected my smelliest water into disposal bucket, for mixing with compost in metal container.&nbsp; In hindsight, I might have dumped this down the toilet if I was doing this again - compost smells may still attract predators, even if they can't break into the metal bins, so I've put my dogs at risk for dealing with an avoidable threat.<br />- Other noxious rinse waters, like blood or urine, can be diluted and disposed to forest scratch-holes or appropriate agriculture (e.g. orchard fertilizer or mulch basins not in contact with edible produce) <i>if dumped promptly</i>.<br /><b>DO NOT STORE "black water,"</b> food-contaminated greywater, or other high-nutrient liquids when you can possibly help it.&nbsp; Even urine which is supposedly "sterile" in the bladder becomes host to a LOT of fascinating and nasty microbiota within a few hours of excretion.<br /><br />Black water tends to grow disease quickly if left to its own devices. This is why in this sequence, I emptied the compost and black water bucket as soon as I was done adding to them, before proceeding with the final steps of return-to-clean kitchen status.<br /><br />8) Final Wash &amp; Sterilize:<br />Apron and mask now in the laundry, I proceed with clean hands to do the final re-set to normal kitchen status.<br /><br />Any plastic container (or grease-coated container like a frying pan) that has contained rotting, greasy foods is a semi-permanent biohazard.<br /><br />There are two simple ways to sterilize effectively in every kitchen: Boiling, and heating to the point of charring (trace residues turn black).&nbsp; Most materials that survive in my kitchen can tolerate one or the other.<br /><br />- Cast Iron Sterilization:<br />Our brilliant friend, Paul Wheaton, has posted some <a href="https://richsoil.com/cast-iron.jsp" target="_blank">beautiful instructions on Richsoil.com for excellent cast-iron care</a>.&nbsp; This is one situation where I completely ignore his every-day advice.<br />The frying pan that had the sad remains of a lovel fish dinner:<br />&nbsp;I scrubbed with soap and water, allowed to dry, then placed under the broiler until it was dull and charred all over.&nbsp; (I vented the space during this process.)&nbsp; Then I let it cool slightly, re-coated with a mix of olive and coconut oil, and it is safe to return to service.<br />The less often you have to do this, of course, the better it is for your cast iron cookware, and the better chance you will have of achieving non-stick cooking performance.<br /><br />- Glass Sterilization:<br />For non-porous glass, washing with very hot soap and water is probably enough, but boiling is extra security.&nbsp; I had only one glass container this time, a bacon grease mason jar.&nbsp; As it wasn't moldy, just stale, I will likely just wash it thoroughly (it would be sterilized prior to canning in future).&nbsp; I routinely use glass and milk-glass bowls for thawing meat and other chores, where I want to be able to de-contaminate afterwards.<br />&nbsp;For porous ceramics, boiling is probably safest, or re-firing.&nbsp; I try to avoid using porous materials to store perishable foods in the first place.<br /><br />- Plastic lids and containers:<br />Since plastic is made from oil, it is very easy for oil-type germs to embed themselves in the plastic and refuse to be washed away regardless of how much soap you use.<br />I have my soapy-water pre-washed plastic in the sink, waiting to be boiled for 10 minutes at a rolling boil. (as I'm now at altitude, on reflection I might need 15 minutes or salt-water to bring the temp up properly).<br />Whatever doesn't survive the boiling process, would have been permanently contaminated and need to be retired anyway.<br />I generally avoid re-using biohazard plastics even for non-food purposes.&nbsp; I use them only for garbage bin liners, and dispose promptly.&nbsp; Even if you could count on the family reading "no food use" or "MR-YUCK" labels on hoarded containers, there is a chance with any re-use that someone could still get a septic scratch out of the deal down the road.<br />The possible sacrifice of plastic lids on Pyrex dishes due to moldy food contamination is a really good reason not to let things get this far if you can help it.&nbsp; But these silicone lids can generally be boiled sterile again. <br /><br />- Scrubber/Cloth Sterilization:<br />- Disposable: Compost or trash: After rinsing my charred dish-washing rag, I will compost it.&nbsp; I am also cycling out the onion-mesh scrubbers to the trash, and replacing with fresh ones.&nbsp; Compostable diapers and pads, from healthy people, can be composted in a well-designed humanure system.<br />- Disposable: Burn: For true, contagious pathogens like scarlet fever, one old accepted process was to burn all clothing and linens associated with the sick person.&nbsp; The process of burning plague wastes cleanly, and not letting spores escape with unburned smoke, and not letting people or flies come into contact while the biohazard is drying to the point where it can be burned, involves a lot of non-trivial problems.&nbsp; When these problems are solved responsibly, fire is a strong tool for biohazard waste disposal, and for preventing/ending public health emergencies.&nbsp; <span style="font-size: xx-small;">I often burn greasy paper from bacon, for example.&nbsp; For a more extreme example, military friends recount use of fire for sanitary human waste disposal, involving a steel poop-barrel and a lot of diesel.&nbsp; Not pretty, perhaps, but they see worse out there.&nbsp; A previous generation of GIs lost friends to naive poop-disposal, when "natural" pit latrines in Vietnam were used by the local enemy as sources of fetid matter to poison the stakes in tiger-pit-style man traps. We learn from experience in so many ways... </span><br />- Sterilize for re-use:<br />For the less-noxious, "stinky rag" situation, I boil my kitchen rags and scrubbers for 3 minutes on the stovetop or microwave, then rinse thoroughly with cool water.&nbsp; This will remove most pathogens and smells (to the point where hydrogen peroxide will no longer bubble on the boiled sponge or rag).&nbsp; It also loosens up the grime for easier physical cleaning; sometimes I change out the rinse water and re-boil if needed.&nbsp; I prefer cellulose and cotton kitchen sponges and rags, so I can boil repeatedly, and compost the remainders when they are exhausted.<br /><br />- Grease Disposal:<br />Grease is hard for compost microbes to digest, and hard on plumbing, and attracts scavengers if it does make it through to the end of the greywater dispersal system.&nbsp; Greasy rags are also a known hazard for laundry, especially dryers, fire safety, spontaneous combustion.<br />Special process for grease in my kitchen:<br />The dogs get first dibs on grease. They <b><i>love</i></b> helping with this, whether it's evening dish time or fridge cleanout; it's how I bribe our "dog in law" to go home ever evening.&nbsp; For things the dogs can't or shouldn't eat, like paper towels with grease, or wiping out the last residue of bacon-grease jars that their tongues don't reach, I often burn these in a good hot fire during wood-heat season.&nbsp; Limited amounts at a time; too much grease is no good for stovepipes either.<br /><br />And yes, I wash anything the dogs licked to a high standard of cleanness, hot soap-and-water, or sterilization by heat, as appropriate for the type of dish.<br /><br />9) Waste Prevention:<br />Of course, it's easier to operate a greywater sink or off-grid water recycling if you don't put nasty crap in the water in the first place.<br /><br />- Kitchen Cycling:<br />My goal is to store mostly non-perishable foods, and cycle perishables and leftovers efficiently.&nbsp; <br />After dinner, there is about a 2-hour put-away mark (half the commercial food-service stay time) where I need to identify and salvage the remaining foods. Unused ingredients get returned to storage, the fridge, or (in the case of herbs) hung out to dry.&nbsp; Thawed meat can be processed into sausage or canned stews.&nbsp; Thawed fruits in excess of today's needs can be dehydrated, and tossed in with trail mix or Mueslix.&nbsp; Leftovers can be packaged as freezer meals, or canned up if we have the energy/want the canning heat in the kitchen.&nbsp; All of this is best done the same day, of course. 3-day-old leftovers are more likely to become dog food or compost.<br />My assets include labels and wax pencils or Sharpies, Mason jars, Pyrex storage containers that can go directly from fridge into the microwave or oven, a large dehydrator, friends who are avid for specific Ernie's generous cooking specialties, and a high tolerance for leftovers.&nbsp; (<i>I also like cafeteria and institutional food. While I share Ernie's appreciation for gourmet fare when available, he is often amused by my unabashed enthusiasm for plain, humble, no-work, everyday eats.</i>)&nbsp; <br /><br />My weak points in the kitchen include a tendency to lose track of time, and the fact that both my husband and I learned to cook for crews/families of about 6 people.&nbsp; It's really hard for us to make "just enough" for two people when it comes to one-pot meals like chili, stews, or soups. <br /><br />We have more insights to share from years of camping and no-fridge kitchens in a future article about <i>"Off-Grid Meal Planning: Happy Campers, No Leftovers, and Zero Waste</i>."&nbsp; <br /><br />- Pre-Screening Oils/Chemicals:<br />Despite our esoteric knowledge of all the many uses of modern chemicals, I try not to allow too many paints or greases into my life that are not safe for fire or dog disposal.&nbsp; There are some, such as epoxy paints for the boats, and fluids for the equipment.&nbsp; But I watch and restrict them coming in, so I don't have to pay to dispose of any excess going out.<br />- I have a safety-locked bathroom cupboard and an outdoor metal storage cabinet for those non-edible oils, greases, and other chemicals that I do choose to keep in stock.<br />- Biodegradables: I prefer multi-purpose, food-grade, or biodegradable personal products when possible.&nbsp; I don't stock detergents that can't be used in greywater sinks, or shampoos that aren't septic-safe. <br /><b>- What did our ancestors use, before industrial chemicals came on the market for public consumption?&nbsp;</b><br />Many of our friends have learned to care for their hair without shampoo, sometimes called "Going Poo-Less." The Tudor-era method I prefer involves self-care time with a fine-toothed comb, and plain or scented water as needed.&nbsp; That's often enough for everyday purposes.<br />However, my life is not an idyllic Tudor farm.&nbsp; We are often exposed to chemicals, paints, tars, sap, smoke from burning paper, natural debris, and structure fires (I'm a volunteer fire fighter), and the occasional, memorable burst of flying pesto (see The Pesto Incident, previous post).&nbsp; I stock good-quality, near-natural shampoos in our bathroom, for chemical stripping of our hair to remove contaminants from our work and play.&nbsp; One bottle generally lasts over 2 years, if we keep it out of reach of curious puppies.&nbsp; <br /><br /><h4>Kitchen Hygiene Level: Overkill?</h4>This article describes my process in a kitchen where I host suburban family, people who may be sick or subject to infection, "mainstreamers"/finnicky folks, and myself (currently representing all 3 categories).<br /><br />That being said, Ernie grew up on fishing boats, and has the immune system of a junkyard dog.&nbsp; All of this probably strikes him like a very elaborate waste of good crab bait.<br />("yup.")<br />...<br /><b><br /></b><b>More Off-Grid Kitchens and DIY Household Tips?</b><br /><br />If you liked this topic, or have a suggestion, please comment below.<br />We're thinking of doing a whole series on off-grid kitchens, with pictures.<br />(If you are willing to grant us unlimited copyright permission to use photos of your own off-grid or nature-cycling kitchen, including works-in-progress and nasty de-tox projects, please send them in!&nbsp; Anonymity or publicity available.)<br /><br />For rockets, natural building, and other upcoming events and projects, see:<br /><a href="http://ernieanderica.blogspot.com/2017/03/ways-to-see-us-in-early-2017.html" target="_blank">http://ernieanderica.blogspot.com/2017/03/ways-to-see-us-in-early-2017.html </a>Erica Wisnerhttps://plus.google.com/109267019450950530497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193047404252392170.post-60545688873349055732017-03-04T22:35:00.000-08:002017-03-04T22:35:04.256-08:00Ways to See Us in Early 2017The calendar needs updating, and I need office help.<br /><br />Two going-fast opportunities are:<br /><br />Online summit: <br />Eat Your Dirt, starts March 5, we are on the schedule for March 8.&nbsp; <br /><br />All-access pass https://solacelessons.samcart.com/referral/JTy27hCd/iCPzPxPelP4VR6d8<br />Free/splash page https://solacelessons.samcart.com/referral/WieoGj3O/iCPzPxPelP4VR6d8<br /><br />If you select the "free" page, please expect a bit of a sales blitz.&nbsp; Click on through if you really don't want to upsell.<br /><br />The content is well worth the all-access pass prices (worth 3x to 10x more), and the sharing terms are generous, so please support this project as we'd like to do more of them!<br /><br /><br /><br />In person:<br /><br />Missoula Area: <br />There are only two tickets left for the Permaculture Design Course at Wheaton Labs - we will be attending the whole thing, and presenting on several topics, with leadership from the inimitable Tim Barker.<br /><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&amp;q=https://richsoil.com/pdc.jsp&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1488781200209000&amp;usg=AFQjCNELc0N1cOjrwNh0pisO-odD4MBulQ" href="https://richsoil.com/pdc.jsp" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">https://richsoil.com/<span class="il">pdc</span>.jsp</a> <br /><br />Alternative Technology course immediately following, same location, still has some room, and we'll be there for about half of this.<br /><br />We're also hashing out final details for a natural building workshop just before the PDC, with Jim and the Ants leading basic building of the project, and me as an "expert" to lead a natural plasters mini-course toward the end.&nbsp; Lots of fun times!<br /><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&amp;q=https://richsoil.com/pdc.jsp&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1488781200209000&amp;usg=AFQjCNELc0N1cOjrwNh0pisO-odD4MBulQ" href="https://richsoil.com/pdc.jsp" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">https://richsoil.com/<span class="il">pdc</span>.jsp</a><br /><br />Tonasket Area:<br />Natural plasters with Green Okanogan on Earth Day, April 22, with opportunities for volunteers to do a more in-depth work party with us in early April to prepare.<br />RSVP to: Web@GreenOkanogan.org <br /><br />Rocket Mass Heater Intro Day, Sat. April 29th, $25 to the public.&nbsp;<br />See previous descriptions for this, it's terribly fun, morning show-and-tell with a choice of hands-on activities in the afternoon. <br />RSVP as soon as you know you want to come, because parking is limited, <a href="http://www.newsociety.com/affil.mvc?Affil=ERWI&amp;Page=../Books/R/The-Rocket-Mass-Heater-Builder-s-Guide" target="_blank">our book</a> came out last year, <i>and </i>I've invited the entire NE WA region to send fire fighters and emergency responders for free.&nbsp;<br />We may be opening additional days, or offering a couple more sessions in neighboring counties, if demand is high. There may be options to earn a place as "staff" for the event by prior arrangement.&nbsp; This is the cheapest public event we do all year.&nbsp; We do it in order to generate good energy and local help for our home projects (including just plain fire safety, reducing the number of depressing calls we get to structure fires that started with an ill-fated woodstove or chimney.)<br />RSVP to: questions@ErnieAndErica.info, with "Rockets 2017" in the subject line.<br /><br />For family and friends:<br />We will be having a Portland visit during Spring Break, and another one in late July.&nbsp;<br />These are supposed to be for family, not so much business. So if you're looking for a rocket stove consult, please respect our right to put you off until fall or later. Erica Wisnerhttps://plus.google.com/109267019450950530497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193047404252392170.post-50448468696071287472017-02-26T20:03:00.000-08:002017-02-26T20:03:18.619-08:00Vigil ConcludedFor those concerned about the "vision quest" and sleep deprivation, I had a wonderful long rest last night, after a beautiful Saturday that had a lot of ritualistic elements (sabbath, end-of-vigil, etc).&nbsp; I will be sharing more about it all in days to come!<br /><br />Love,<br />EricaErica Wisnerhttps://plus.google.com/109267019450950530497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193047404252392170.post-53983084137997874722017-02-24T09:17:00.000-08:002017-02-27T08:59:42.968-08:00Burning Bush: Erica Turns 40 and Levels UpI thought turning 40 might be depressing, and make me feel old, but no - it's incredibly powerful.&nbsp; I have done my time.&nbsp; I have defined myself as a crisis victim, and a crisis survivor.&nbsp; <b>I am now an experienced crisis manager. </b><br /><br />My birthday Feb. 10 was the beginning of feeling better from a week spent feverish in bed with this year's seasonal crud.<br /><br />That recovery surge of energy, overlaid on my re-discovery of my calling to creative collaboration and teamwork through stepping up at Mt. Hull Fire District 12, overlaid on a surge of good wishes from family elders and supportive fans.&nbsp; Like when many waves temporarily align into a super-wave.<br /><br /><br />Self-pity about unfinished plans, distance from loved ones, roots in too many places is dropping away.&nbsp; This is my mountain, MOTA is my church, you are my tribe, and there is no conflict because <i>this is my world</i>. <br /><a href="http://earth.nullschool.net/" target="_blank">earth.nullschool.net</a><br /><br />My&nbsp; is teaching me powerful things about chain of command, scope of leadership, and how to share immense responsibilities within achievable human skills and capacities.<br /><br />Ernie and I both feel I may be called to progress in the nationwide disaster-response qualifications toward "IC," Incident Commander. On my part, I just felt a hunch that this may be the year that I get my first call-out where I'm the senior person who responds to a call in our district, and I'd like to be fully prepared to do that safely by whenever it happens.<br />Ernie feels that I might need to get fast-tracked to finish the appropriate training and experience, toward my natural leadership level, and he also calls that "IC track."&nbsp; Could be some other thing - safety officer, train-the-trainer, research and development of disaster-prevention and community preparedness.<br /><b>What training path do I take toward people-puzzle leadership?</b><br /><br />My district's fractured chain of command has resolved itself into a department running on ten good men and two good women.&nbsp; The flustercluck has resolved into at least 6 wheels on the ground and tieing in.&nbsp; And the core meeting I tried to facilitate (on 3 days with about 4 hours' sleep) has fully endorsed my acting as a non-officer coordinator for now (trainings/transition help), and pursuing my own training opportunities as far and as fast as I care to try.&nbsp; I said, "If you can tolerate me in this state of sleep deprivation, we might be able to work together," and they seem to be all for it.<br /><br />My previous calls to serve with Ernie in disaster prevention, building resilient communities, and working to mitigate the Long Emergency are aligning with this one. Our district has a similar image problem, of "Mt. Hull Specials" and hot messes.&nbsp; Like many small rural districts, people who buy cheap land are either amazingly resilient survivors with their eyes open, or people making a poor decision that may be part of a pattern.<br /><br />Mt. Hull is now "My Mountain," a proving ground for demonstrating what can be done using only what you have.&nbsp; As I experiment with how I can facilitate better community support, it might become an exemplarly Permaculture Fire District, creatively using goats to mow medevac and safety zones, for example, or hosting small business and web marketing seminars at the fire hall as bait for good treasurers and secretaries to volunteer. <br /><br />The wonderful friends and allies that I've been gathering since before I was born are now showing up as beacons of potential, awaiting connection.&nbsp; The light of these visions are keeping me from sleep. <br /><br />Be careful what you pray for:<br />I have asked many people to help hold me in their care, and to help me find good boundaries, listening instead of over-talking, and a 90-day trial period in case I can't do this without burning myself out.<br /><br />I have mentors in mind, and will be reaching out for support crew. <br /><br />However, it does not appear that the Universe is going to allow me to think my way through the process on my usual terms.<br />It has turned into a sort of vision quest, or sword of Damocles, or trial by fire.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <br /><br />My body is giving me clear signals, which make it physically uncomfortable or painful when I over-commit, micro-manage, or do things that it's not time to do.&nbsp; This physical discomfort, combined with the excitement, makes it hard to sleep more than an hour to three hours at a time.<br />I realize that's a grave health concern, and so does my team.&nbsp; Please listen to the <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=1&amp;cad=rja&amp;uact=8&amp;ved=0ahUKEwia9MvFl6nSAhVU_GMKHUJMDF0QFggcMAA&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.radiolab.org%2Fstory%2F91710-limits-of-the-body%2F&amp;usg=AFQjCNGMdsVFlQgwogsCpD3g5XXvwQH7Uw&amp;sig2=pfq7nbPASOTamvxImNB4LA" target="_blank">RadioLab podcast about RAAM and human limits</a>, and realize that my beloved Ernie is a former RAAM completion athlete.&nbsp; He will do what he feels necessary if he sees symptoms that I have gone beyond "incredible superwoman lifting car off baby" human capacity, and am in danger of entering the death zone.<br /><b>Please tie in with Ernie if you feel you have a key element or emergency intervention option for my well being</b>.&nbsp; questions@gmail.com<br /><br />My own sense is that this might be a crash course in leadership from God.&nbsp; Listen to those body-sense cues, find effective support, because the alternative is intolerable.&nbsp; Surviving it will mean I have a much better knowledge of my actual limits, with many self-defeating fears and follies burned away.&nbsp; <br /><br />If you are Catholic, this feels like Sacred Heart.<br />It feels like I am a hero-in-training going through my qualifying exam.<br />It feels like a rite of passage that is being coordinated by the universe itself.<br />It feels like being divinely whipped into shape for the Haudenosaunee Peacemaker / Quaker practices.<br />It feels like the Shamanic status of becoming a "hollow reed," through which the spirit acts in the world.<br /><br />As I write, I am using my body cues to find my best words.&nbsp; Overstatement or falseness causes physical discomfort in my heart, throat, or gut.&nbsp; Right words, right actions, bring relief.<br /><br />These sensations are like a dowsing-rod; I am using them to guide me toward food, drink, healthy activity and requests for guidance, or time to rest again.&nbsp; My need to relieve the discomfort is also my guide to pinpoint the support that feels best from the many 'sleep coaches' and aunties I've enlisted.&nbsp; <br /><br />If you have experienced such a transformative crisis yourself, and feel called to help me with this one, please email me using the topic "Burning Bush" in the title with your offer. Or call me on whatever line you have.<br /><br /><b>Boundaries for phone calls, until further notice:&nbsp;&nbsp;</b><br />- <b>No phone calls during the hours of darkness</b>, especially after 9pm, unless it's a life-or-death emergency, or a pre-arranged exception.<br /><b>- For those we specifically asked to return a call, please call between 9am-6pm.</b>&nbsp; <br /><b>- No Unsolicited Advice By Phone Please, see below. </b><br /><br />- Hand-picked sleep coaches are helping me try for bedtime at 9pm.<br />- I am trying to stop working, bringing myself down from exciting brainstorming, connection, and puzzle-type work, starting around 6pm.&nbsp; Including "solving" this crisis by thinking about it.&nbsp; Because my entire life's work and play and family history is in the process of unifying into a coherent calling, EVERYTHING that I normally love to talk about will also wind me up and make it harder to sleep.&nbsp; But we may not unplug the phone if I expect a return call about urgent/important support.&nbsp;&nbsp; <br /><br /><u>Re: Unsolicited Advice:</u> Ernie and I are contacting hand-picked advisors; as you can imagine, our medical adventures have led us to meet some awesome ones.<br /><br /><b>If we have not requested your personal involvement or call, take a deep breath</b>. Check <i>your</i> heart and gut before dialing the phone.&nbsp; Is it worth the phone ring possibly waking me up from a much-needed nap? <br />If you're not sure, please offer quietly: email, mail a note, or send a prayer/intention instead.&nbsp;<br />If it's a treatment you've received or heard about, but you're not a master practitioner yourself, could you use the phone to find a master-level practitioner, and send <i>them</i> our way? <br /><br /><u>Exceptions/Solicited advice:</u><br />- leads on <i>excellent</i> local doctors, social workers, mental health, self-care (massage therapists?) in Okanogan County.&nbsp; Or world-class health advisors who can work from a distance.<br />- options for highly functional on-site caregiver relief, for future times when we're all laid up at once (Ernie may need ADLs and health care and errands)<br />- Anyone we contacted since Feb. 18th, we see you as part of the solution (your advice is solicited)<br /><br /><b>If you feel called</b> to help in any way, offers of substantial help/offloading the excess are welcome.&nbsp; Please respond in the comments or tie in by email: questions@ernieanderica.info<br /><br />We will be offering other ways to help very shortly, as we get the lines established. <br /><br /><br />My nightly mantra, as I practice breathing breath in silver light and the long exhale, is "Thank You God for Everything." That includes you, beloved readers. Erica Wisnerhttps://plus.google.com/109267019450950530497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193047404252392170.post-59500597391291787442016-12-01T00:59:00.002-08:002016-12-01T02:22:00.036-08:00DIY Cancer Care (short version: not fun)Breaking radio silence, I wanted to let some concerned friends and family know that we are OK.<br />We have had a series of disappointing medical appointments for Ernie, resulting in a lot of not much happening, and we are coming out of an extended paperwork-and-logistics crunch on long-term care for Ernie's mom.<br /><br />Ernie's mom has late-stage cancer, and is medically considered beyond treatment (which she resisted for years anyway).<br /><br />In the unfortunate event that you are going through something similar, here are some resources we've found useful: <br /><br />- If you are doing OK, medically and financially, but starting to slow down a bit,&nbsp; <a href="http://www.mealsonwheelsamerica.org/" target="_blank">Meals on Wheels</a> has been surprisingly helpful in helping elders stay independent in their own homes.&nbsp; Not just food, but a daily visit from a friendly face, and in my grandma's case they were also able to call a designated number if she didn't answer the door.&nbsp; (Which means family could visit when convenient, but didn't need to hover.)<br /><br />- Long Term Care:<br />Illness is expensive, and so is long-term care.&nbsp; <br />One website showing places to apply for food and medical help:<br /><a href="http://www.in.gov/fssa/dfr/2691.htm">http://www.in.gov/fssa/dfr/2691.htm</a><br />A lot of communities have other resources, such as private organizations or funds. A good local social worker should know a lot of them. <br /><br /><a href="https://www.medicaid.gov/apply-for-coverage/apply-for-coverage.html" target="_blank">Medicaid</a> can help with long-term care, based on financial and functional eligibility, they may offer anything from a few hours a week of light household help, to 24-hour care in a nursing home.<br /><br />- Power of Attorney:<br />If a person becomes incapacitated, or just starts having trouble doing paperwork in a timely way, they may need to designate a trusted person to have access to their affairs.&nbsp; (This is kind of like adding someone to your joint bank account - an untrustworthy person can really mess up your life.)<br />&nbsp; There are lots of generic POA forms online.&nbsp; You can X out sections that don't apply.&nbsp; Consult a lawyer if needed.&nbsp; A power of attorney is not the same as a will, and may not allow access to affairs or resources after a person dies. <br /><br />Hospice: comfort care, including in-home or residential nursing:<br /><a href="http://www.hospicedirectory.org/">http://www.hospicedirectory.org/</a>&nbsp; <br />&nbsp;<a href="http://www.nhpco.org/find-hospice">http://www.nhpco.org/find-hospice</a><br />(Ask your doctor what hospice programs they work with/recommend.&nbsp; Generally, your doctor must confirm your eligibility (within about 6 months of end of life), but there are no limits to how long you can receive care.&nbsp; The hospice coordinators or social workers can help you find out what's covered by your insurance.&nbsp; They are incredibly helpful, compassionate, and well-informed. Even if you don't sign up now, they may be able to walk you through your best options and local resources.)<br /><br />- American Cancer Society:<br />A good summary of end-of-life processes and symptoms:<br /><a href="http://www.cancer.org/treatment/nearingtheendoflife/nearingtheendoflife/nearing-the-end-of-life-death">http://www.cancer.org/treatment/nearingtheendoflife/nearingtheendoflife/nearing-the-end-of-life-death</a><br /><br />What Happens When Someone Dies?<br />If you are young and lucky, you may never have been present at another person's death.&nbsp;&nbsp; What do you do?<br />If the dead person was on Hospice, you call the Hospice main number, and generally a nurse will come out to handle things. <br />If not on Hospice, the death must be reported to the county Medical Examiner, usually by calling the sherriff's office at 911. Don't move the body until the medical examiner releases it. (Sometimes they just ask a few questions over the phone, depending who's there, but usually a medical person has to verify the death in person.)<br />&nbsp; It's a good idea to make arrangements ahead of time (funeral home, body donation, or whatever), because there are limits to how long you can discuss these things, or second-guess the person's wishes, after death.&nbsp; Funeral homes will provide a price list on request; both basics and extras can be expensive.&nbsp; Although it can be depressing to contemplate, making decisions ahead of time is a huge weight off friends and family afterwards.<br /><br />- Informal Social Support and Reciprocity:<br />&nbsp; We owe a big debt of gratitude to the church family, friends, and neighbors, all of whom have been providing a lot of day-to-day help for Ernie's mom.&nbsp; Most of them say that she has done the same for them, or for other friends and families they know.<br />&nbsp; Most of the above programs, and many others, accept donations or volunteers. My gran'ma and I enjoyed donating boxes of fresh fruit from her backyard trees to Meals on Wheels; another friend enjoyed delivering meals by bicycle.<br /><br />We all make our own beds, and lie in them.&nbsp; There are worse things than toughing out a deadly illness in your own home, on your own terms, with daily visits from friends and family.<br />...<br />Not useful, in our opinion:<br />- sales websites promising to cure your cancer in a few easy steps (and turning the blame back on you if you don't follow their impossible steps exactly, or if following their steps caused other and possibly worse health problems)<br />- faith healers who tell a person casually over the phone that they are healed, regardless of medical circumstances, or any discernible divine intervention<br />- people who snoop or gossip about someone's situation without actually helping.<br /><br />We occasionally have the benign problem of 'too many cooks,' where well-meaning people see a need, and try to do something about it (like "re-organize" or shuffle important papers).&nbsp; But if it is not a task they can complete (often because it's not really their job), messing with it can make things worse.<br /><br />One of the most difficult things as a care giver is to recognize when to leave well enough alone.<br />Being present, and listening, are often more important than bustling or effort.&nbsp; Between Ernie's medical appointments and our physical distance, we're not able to be present as much as his mom might prefer.&nbsp; So a lot of what we can do is by phone, fax, email, and second-hand.<br /><br />I often wonder whether I'm doing enough, whether I'm doing too much.&nbsp; I am in this as Ernie's proxy; I often talk to his mother more than he does.&nbsp; And I may be stepping on toes.<br /><br />There are a lot of emotionally difficult, physically uncomfortable things that happen when a person needs care. Everyone has their own opinions about how things ought to be done. I want us to hear about it if care isn't adequate - and I also want Ernie's mom to be allowed to make her own decisions as long as she is able.&nbsp; Friendly nagging or insisting can quickly become harassment - or just add to the indignity and confusion of an older adult having to ask for help.<br /><br />Between consenting adults, "No" means No.&nbsp; Either the care giver, or the person receiving care, can decline if they are uncomfortable. (Physical, emotional, or time limits; inappropriate medical training or skill; or a private reason or personal preference are all adequate grounds for declining.)<br /><br />There are specific legal and medical situations where a person's right to self-determination may be over-ruled.&nbsp; But unless and until you are appointed to make decisions on someone else's behalf, that is not your job.&nbsp; <br /><br />I keep reminding myself that we are all doing the best we can - and not even the most perfect care can make a loved one immortal.&nbsp;<br />Hold onto the love, compassion, and gratitude that brought you together in the first place. Erica Wisnerhttps://plus.google.com/109267019450950530497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193047404252392170.post-15505489343172972192016-08-22T15:51:00.001-07:002016-08-22T22:06:40.567-07:00Woodshed DIY Resources<style type="text/css">p { margin-bottom: 0.1in; line-height: 120%; }a:link { }</style> <br /><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">August DIY Update:&nbsp;</div><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">Woodsheds Again</div><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">In the Western states, our summer dry season is approaching its end. (Sometimes in a fiery burst of heat. Our sympathy to the folks currently threatened by active wild fires; we're feeling very lucky NOT to be fighting big wildfires yet in the Okanogan County this year, for once.)</div><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pOhD8_-YldY/V7uA321IGVI/AAAAAAAAI8s/H1QJD8RulNYT2ySRYfK0xZjTtTSO6ixEQCLcB/s1600/DSCN3590-Woodshed.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pOhD8_-YldY/V7uA321IGVI/AAAAAAAAI8s/H1QJD8RulNYT2ySRYfK0xZjTtTSO6ixEQCLcB/s320/DSCN3590-Woodshed.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our wood shed - already stocked<br />with about 1 winter's supply<br />for our rocket mass heater</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">If you need a woodshed, or a bigger or better woodshed, to hold all that lovely wood you've harvested and split this spring, it would be a REALLY good end-of-August project for this week. </div><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">Properly dried and stored fire wood can provide more than double the same heating energy as damp or green wood. (Soaking-wet wood can act as a fire extinguisher, meaning dry wood is <i>infinitely</i> more effective as a heating fuel.)</div><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">A good woodshed is not just storage out of the rain – it's a clever wood-drying machine. The shape and structure promote great ventilation, often using slatted sides or racks, and sometimes featuring dividers so you can run two years' supply side-by-side with ventilation between each row. Good wood sheds keep not just rain but groundwater and evaporating moisture from remaining anywhere near your precious fuel stores.&nbsp;</div><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">A good wood shed should be so well-ventilated it's almost windy inside. If your climate is very humid and foggy, you might need to consider a design with some heating function to dry the air - perhaps an enclosed shed whose metal or clear plastic roof helps it functions like a solar dehydrator, or a storage attached to your heated space such as a mud-room, lean-to, or the back corner of a shop or barn.&nbsp;</div><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">(In most climates, these heated spaces are not necessary to achieve dry wood, and the risk of bringing wood-eating bugs into a large wooden building may outweigh the convenience and drying speed associated with heated spaces.)&nbsp;</div><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">Common structures that can double as wood-drying storage include a well-ventilated greenhouse, barn, daylight basement, or a temporary fabric structure such as a canopy tent or suspended rain-fly tarp.&nbsp;</div><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">Bad ideas for wood sheds include almost all tarped-over woodpiles on the ground.&nbsp; Unfortunately, these often act more as moisture-trapping mushroom farms than as dry storage. Basements are another location that may be useable for storing already-dried wood, but may be too damp or lack the necessary ventilation for a reasonably fast initial drying and curing process. </div><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">If you would not leave books or linens in your wood storage, for fear of damp and mold, consider improving it.</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kmRCrTc7MaE/V7uA6byi3CI/AAAAAAAAI8w/YwPFEIwM7qA9DiEeelsOwrvE3aB4qDHEwCLcB/s1600/DSCN3588-Bow-Carport-800px.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kmRCrTc7MaE/V7uA6byi3CI/AAAAAAAAI8w/YwPFEIwM7qA9DiEeelsOwrvE3aB4qDHEwCLcB/s320/DSCN3588-Bow-Carport-800px.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Assembling a 24-foot-wide bow shed carport<br />(yes, it's taller than our 24x36 cabin)</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">We are also in the middle of building an extra-big carport, using the largest approved size of “bow-truss” from some university extension service barn plans we found online.&nbsp;</div><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">The main motive for this project is actually ice-free access to our vehicles while Ernie recovers from an elective surgery this fall.&nbsp; But I'm definitely looking forward to stacking a little bit of extra firewood in here for convenient access this winter.&nbsp; (and possibly to creating an entryway/greenhouse....)</div><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">Here are some great resources for building an inexpensive, spacious woodshed:</div><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">Simple shed roof with tilt-up walls:</div><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="http://www.popularmechanics.com/home/how-to-plans/how-to/g103/how-to-build-a-firewood-shed/">http://www.popularmechanics.com/home/how-to-plans/how-to/g103/how-to-build-a-firewood-shed/</a></div><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">A bow-shed greenhouse much like ours (this company does sell plans and accessories, but similar plans are also available elsewhere for free).</div><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="http://www.by-the-sea.com/stimsonmarine/bowroof.html">http://www.by-the-sea.com/stimsonmarine/bowroof.html</a></div><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">Barn construction details for those with loftier ambitions - MANY designs and details free to download from North Dakota extension service, well-adapted for snow and wind loads: </div><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/extension-aben/buildingplans/construction">https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/extension-aben/buildingplans/construction</a></div><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">Many barn and shed (and other ag building) plans from Tennesee extension service– try #6100 for a nice simple shed, or #6298 for a gothic-arch bow-shed, greenhouse, or carport:</div><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="http://bioengr.ag.utk.edu/extension/extpubs/planlist97.htm">http://bioengr.ag.utk.edu/extension/extpubs/planlist97.htm</a></div><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">If you already have a woodshed you love, please send a picture, or share pictures or links in the comments below.</div><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">Thanks for reading!</div><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">Yours,</div><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">Erica and Ernie</div><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div>Erica Wisnerhttps://plus.google.com/109267019450950530497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193047404252392170.post-1042602942760675742016-08-22T14:46:00.003-07:002016-08-22T14:48:05.532-07:00Countdown to the New NormalIf our bodies made logical sense, we would be robots.<br /><br />A lot has happened since I wrote the posts for May - including some lovely professional opportunities, re-connecting with old friends and colleagues, and making new memories.<br /><br />But in the last couple of months, the excitement about bringing out The Book has been overshadowed by health concerns.&nbsp; We have two relatively urgent medical upheavals in our lives right now. (Along with the usual number of chronic concerns, if there is such a thing as "usual number" of those.)<br /><br />One is the news that Ernie's mother Peggy has had a serious downturn in her longstanding battle with cancer. The other is that after trying a lot of alternatives, we finally have been referred to an excellent surgeon, who says there is a very good chance of a successful below-the-knee amputation for Ernie.&nbsp; This is a HUGE decision, but it's one that Ernie has already researched, and made up his mind a few years ago was the next logical step to move forward.<br /><br />(The weeks between organizing Peggy's hospice care, and going to meet this new surgeon and find out what was possible for Ernie, have been a VERY difficult time to stay focused on work tasks.&nbsp; But now I seem to be back in the saddle for logistics and follow-through.) <br /><br />If Ernie's insurance gives the green light for this surgery, we need to allow for a year to 18 months of post-surgery recovery and adaptation.&nbsp; After that, we get to discover our "new normal."&nbsp;<br />&nbsp; We can look forward to possible reductions in pain (currently between 7-10 pain level most days), and significant reduction in the infections he's been experiencing the past year and a half.&nbsp;<br />&nbsp; I hope we can enjoy a lot more water-sports (many amputees are active kayakers, sailors, and swimmers), and better options for bicycling again.&nbsp; Most travel should become significantly less painful and risky, as well, though we may need to be stricter in our criteria for ADA-accessible destinations.<br /><br />We have also been warned to expect that construction, especially lifting, twisting, and balance-type activities, are extremely difficult after any leg amputation. The prosthetic socket represents sort of a bendy break in the lower leg, which is a weak point under sideways stresses such as torque, bending, or shear (unstable as well as very uncomfortable).&nbsp; The surgeon and prosthetist we talked to have worked with a number of drywallers, builders, firefighters, and fishermen, and these folks rarely return to the same work after an amputation.&nbsp; (The longest example the surgeon has seen lasted about 2 years at drywalling, and that was a guy who was highly motivated to keep supporting his family.&nbsp; It was just extremely difficult to do that kind of work.)<br />&nbsp; The most successful people in adapting to life after amputation are good "outside the box" thinkers, who can find new ways to perform familiar tasks now that their body has a new shape and new limits.&nbsp; We all agreed that Ernie is very likely to remain well above average activity levels; he is intrinsically highly motivated, and highly adaptable.<br /><br />You can imagine this involves a lot of discussion about our work and life together.&nbsp; We may be sending me alone to honor some existing commitments, and identifying and cancelling those optional things that have to give way to higher priorities.&nbsp;<br /><br />Ernie wants to "support me" in going ahead and doing things without him, things that might take my mind off all this, like fire fighting, book signing, and scheduled events where I get to shine as a featured expert.&nbsp;<br />However, I find fame is a poor substitute for creative partnership.&nbsp; Performing under the limelight doesn't come naturally to me when my heart's priorities are on what's going on back home.<br /><br /><br /><br />I've resumed mutually-supportive dates with two of our local friends, and phone check-ins with a couple of family members.&nbsp; A few regular people who ask me how it's going once a week, and especially those who don't mind taking the time to discuss detailed work logistics, family concerns, and other problems, are much appreciated.<br /><br />We had a lovely "angel visit" from our friend Tyler this weekend, who helped with construction (see next post) as well as prep and playing with natural plasters and goat cheese.<br /><br />I'm currently organizing my chore lists, so I can delegate somewhat in case of offers from other angels with time to spare.<br /><br />Yours,<br />Erica (and Ernie) WisnerErica Wisnerhttps://plus.google.com/109267019450950530497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193047404252392170.post-64492717704606950422016-07-13T10:02:00.000-07:002017-07-13T10:12:23.096-07:00EVIP Training Payment PageEVIP Vehicle Safety Training:<br /><br />Thank you for hosting the 2017 EVIP training at the Tonasket Ranger District.&nbsp; To pay by credit card using PayPal, please click here:<br /><br /><form action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post" target="paypal"><input name="cmd" type="hidden" value="_s-xclick" /><input name="hosted_button_id" type="hidden" value="XE5BL9BG2DP3A" /><input alt="PayPal - The safer, easier way to pay online!" border="0" name="submit" src="https://www.paypalobjects.com/en_US/i/btn/btn_cart_LG.gif" type="image" /><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://www.paypalobjects.com/en_US/i/scr/pixel.gif" width="1" /></form><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zAESL4xRv0c/WWenLEGBjtI/AAAAAAAAJoE/Ek0PRmZlaDEieR2PVQys-BRmdqKvZDENgCLcBGAs/s1600/Lifeboat_logo_BW.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="914" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zAESL4xRv0c/WWenLEGBjtI/AAAAAAAAJoE/Ek0PRmZlaDEieR2PVQys-BRmdqKvZDENgCLcBGAs/s200/Lifeboat_logo_BW.png" width="113" /></a><br /><br />You will have a choice between "Check out with PayPal" or "Check Out".&nbsp; The second option will allow you to pay by credit card.<br /><br />Thank you,<br />Erica Wisner<br />Wisner Resources<br />509-556-2054<br />www.ErnieAndErica.info<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />In the unlikely event that someone who did not host the 2017 USFS training is reading this page:&nbsp;<br /><br /><form action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post" target="paypal">If you would like to support free or reduced-price EVIP trainings in our community, please send a donation in any amount to: <a href="http://www.paypal.me/Ewisner">www.PayPal.me/Ewisner</a><br />&nbsp; </form>Erica Wisnerhttps://plus.google.com/109267019450950530497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193047404252392170.post-66513069767431667592016-05-22T21:05:00.000-07:002016-05-22T21:05:00.159-07:00All the Pretty, Amazing Mothers (part 4 of 4)Among my earliest memories is a beloved and familiar voice singing a lullaby in my childhood bedroom.&nbsp; The warm coverlet with its broad plaid stripes in shades of brown, orange, gold, and green.&nbsp; Darkness obscuring the shapes in the wallpaper.&nbsp; And the mellow, sweet voice, familiar and unforgettable:<br /><br />"Way out yonder, in the meadow,<br />All the pretty little horses...<br />Dapples and greys, pintos and bays,<br />all the pretty little horses!<br />When you wake, you shall have<br />All the pretty little horses..."<br /><br />I'm sure there was a "go to sleep" in there somewhere, but it was lost among all the pretty horses. <br /><br />With a godmother like Mary Ann, it would have been difficult to avoid going horse crazy.&nbsp; She was in her teens when I was born, and I remember a later visit to Portland where she carefully offered me a selection of her almost-best model horses.&nbsp; I probably still have the grey appaloosa, with the same broken foot that it had when she gave it to me, and its beautifully detailed conformation. Appaloosas were always her favorite.&nbsp; I preferred bays as a child (to the point where my parents got me a Lone Ranger Silver horse toy with articulated legs, but repainted it brown with a black mane and tail for me).&nbsp; I had a Grizzly Adams donkey whose muzzle I shaved after it became apparent to me that real horse-kind had velvety muzzles, not fuzzy hairy ones.<br /><br />When I was about 10, Mary Ann was instrumental in setting me up with a skilled, pragmatic, and foxy riding trainer called Christina Traunweiser.&nbsp; Some years my parents would pay for lessons, some years I would work for them.&nbsp; The process of mucking out stalls every weekend in my formative years means a shovel is still the tool I know best (aside from paper and pencil).<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1.wp.com/www.n8zim.com/nsae/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Betsy-on-Strut-MA-teaching.jpg?w=1080" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i1.wp.com/www.n8zim.com/nsae/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Betsy-on-Strut-MA-teaching.jpg?w=1080" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mary Anne teaching a horse and rider</td></tr></tbody></table>Unlike Mary Anne, I eventually got over the "I want a pony" feeling.&nbsp; I know exactly how much work a horse is, and unless I achieve a rare state of rural life and surplus income (or have work suitable for a horse or mule to earn its keep), I am more than content to share the pleasures of other people's horses.<br /><br />Mary Ann finally got her ponies when she married Craig Stevens, and now teaches classical equitation in Snohomish, WA.&nbsp; (I delight in hearing stories of my nieces, and my mother, getting a riding lesson from Mary Ann on their visits.)<br /><br />The music continued too. I loved singing together at family gatherings, and Mary Ann and my dad were definitely ringleaders in that regard.<br /><br />And although glittery pink ballgowns were not really her style, she did play "dress you up for the ball" one school-shopping trip when we blew our budget on a formal dress jacket instead of the expected jeans.&nbsp; I wore it to a variety of dances and formal occasions for years. <br /><br />....<br /><br /><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UZ2SYnETE6w/Vx2c16nfFUI/AAAAAAAAI0Y/unIOBubjsXMur8UzuODd05KxALr7bJRIACLcB/s1600/DSC_0036.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UZ2SYnETE6w/Vx2c16nfFUI/AAAAAAAAI0Y/unIOBubjsXMur8UzuODd05KxALr7bJRIACLcB/s200/DSC_0036.JPG" width="133" /></a>Wicked Evil Stepmother<br /><a href="https://scontent-sjc2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13062324_10208701578367563_2839431809143595362_n.jpg?oh=8c5c96e081f1897ebeb809ad7f7f2d36&amp;oe=57B1CFD8" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://scontent-sjc2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13062324_10208701578367563_2839431809143595362_n.jpg?oh=8c5c96e081f1897ebeb809ad7f7f2d36&amp;oe=57B1CFD8" width="200" /></a>Kacy claims to be our W.E.S., but she is not very good at it. She married my father at a time when all of us kids were lining up to get married, and just so happened to have ten years as a professional wedding planner under her belt.&nbsp; And she's a highly skilled photographer.<br /><br /><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8zG27Zf4oKI/Vx2gjrL0JmI/AAAAAAAAI04/-4fUDHitXgoQCbRJeyPTkRElpN-iYXPxACLcB/s1600/RMH_Annex6-Kacy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8zG27Zf4oKI/Vx2gjrL0JmI/AAAAAAAAI04/-4fUDHitXgoQCbRJeyPTkRElpN-iYXPxACLcB/s200/RMH_Annex6-Kacy.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1_QxYKWOQw8/Vx2ZwNGWJvI/AAAAAAAAI0M/bOgCXNvu0pE-OG7mDZR_7abvpMRXIfEugCLcB/s1600/DSC_0047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1_QxYKWOQw8/Vx2ZwNGWJvI/AAAAAAAAI0M/bOgCXNvu0pE-OG7mDZR_7abvpMRXIfEugCLcB/s200/DSC_0047.JPG" width="133" /></a>(Since she doesn't love being in front of the camera very much, I was just going to represent her with a casual selection of her work.&nbsp; But someone caught her on her way to ride bikes with my Dad for his birthday last month - something he used to do daily, but she hasn't done since getting hit by a car at age 13... a pretty special birthday treat for him.&nbsp; I'll let Facebook decide how long it's available to show here.)<br /><br /><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0keqS0pftqI/Vx2gv5QWMZI/AAAAAAAAI08/DALijBlvYgohazNyx3frbVJO9EkkWMVsQCLcB/s1600/display_table_DSC_0459.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0keqS0pftqI/Vx2gv5QWMZI/AAAAAAAAI08/DALijBlvYgohazNyx3frbVJO9EkkWMVsQCLcB/s200/display_table_DSC_0459.JPG" width="133" /></a><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LbI_Ner0Gn0/Vx2c5eiWQTI/AAAAAAAAI0c/8kcd2dqV1mEm7mum6c_oPa6W7V36BWSggCLcB/s1600/DSC_0042.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LbI_Ner0Gn0/Vx2c5eiWQTI/AAAAAAAAI0c/8kcd2dqV1mEm7mum6c_oPa6W7V36BWSggCLcB/s200/DSC_0042.JPG" width="133" /></a>For our brief attempt at being commercial chocolateurs, she took sumptuous process shots, jazzed up our table with bronze chiffon and sparkle lights, and then presented us with matching chocolate-themed aprons to wear at the event.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VORmmV4fBPw/Vx2hA3XJpaI/AAAAAAAAI1A/dwCtgQrGdDUA98088rPT3vjS0VeQS-cJACLcB/s1600/hearts_hole_DSC_0434.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VORmmV4fBPw/Vx2hA3XJpaI/AAAAAAAAI1A/dwCtgQrGdDUA98088rPT3vjS0VeQS-cJACLcB/s320/hearts_hole_DSC_0434.JPG" width="214" /></a></div>But my most wicked-favorite thing about Kacy (besides how much she and my dad care for each other), is her sense of humor.<br /><br />She and Ernie are closer in age than either is to their spouse, and they can make each other laugh like few people I know.&nbsp; As a result, Kacy has gotten some truly charming photos of Ernie. Most other photographers capture dramatic tension, rugged intensity, self-criticism, or just a stern thousand-yard stare.&nbsp; But with Kacy around, you get to see in pictures some of the genuine fondness and delight he usually reserves for trusted family.<br /><br />Kacy has that rare combination of creative genius, organizational planning ability, and deep loyalty.<br /><br />All in all, catastrophically mis-cast in the "wicked evil stepmother" role.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>...<br /><br />My mother-in-law and mother-out-law (not sure which is which) are very different from each other, but both are fun to be with.<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xs5UozB4AKg/Vx2jQFkn0gI/AAAAAAAAI1Q/V02k2DPciFo6zWQ3F5N7juAdEanB4x4VgCLcB/s1600/DSC_0167_Peggy_MOG.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xs5UozB4AKg/Vx2jQFkn0gI/AAAAAAAAI1Q/V02k2DPciFo6zWQ3F5N7juAdEanB4x4VgCLcB/s320/DSC_0167_Peggy_MOG.JPG" width="214" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peggy enjoying Ernie and Erica's wedding</td></tr></tbody></table>Peggy Myers is spunky, full of curiosity and enthusiasm, a stalwart Believer (though the church may vary, the faith remains strong).&nbsp; I love hearing her pronounce her delight in a new discovery, a charming shop, or a clever gardening trick: "I just think that's neat!"&nbsp; Peggy loves trying new restaurants, finding a tea shop we can share, learning more about local businesses, getting involved with neighbors, and introducing friends to each other. She has remained close friends with neighbors from our former shared address in Portland, and is probably the single most reliable person to give us a call and say "How was your day?"<br />&nbsp; <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-D7thxcg8U0U/Vx2lgpvjnnI/AAAAAAAAI1s/Pp8OzZ_xVaYSF5hI4br3Y_BGVqV7LjFlACLcB/s1600/Cowgirl-Jeanine-4559-600px.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-D7thxcg8U0U/Vx2lgpvjnnI/AAAAAAAAI1s/Pp8OzZ_xVaYSF5hI4br3Y_BGVqV7LjFlACLcB/s320/Cowgirl-Jeanine-4559-600px.JPG" width="143" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jeanine and Tai,<br />a rescued Arab horse.</td></tr></tbody></table><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-b_BjCQhL0do/Vx2kOQrr1iI/AAAAAAAAI1g/CDGtMGK0b4Yd8RoucszlBV6pAs6IUhIOwCLcB/s1600/IMG_4551.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a>Jeanine Wisner is enjoying retirement on her one-horse ranch, after a career as a small-business accountant, commercial fishing, and a memorable sojourn in Japan.<br /><br />We definitely took advantage of her accounting advice early in the business setup. <br /><br />It's nice to have someone right within walking distance for the occasional "girl chat." Sometimes with cream puffs, white wine, or a hot cup of tea. Sometimes with deep forays into social mores, politics, or the right relationship between humans and the rest of life on Earth.<br /><br />When we're not being profound, we like cooking treats for each other (she makes wicked fried chicken; Ernie has perfected a honey-shrimp recipe that was one of her favorites at a Chinese restaurant; and I seem to be most popular lately for those cream puffs.) And swapping fiction novels for some mental R&amp;R.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>...<br /><br /><br />My sisters and sister-in-law are amazing mothers, too.&nbsp; As are many of our cousins and friends.<br /><br />I continue to admire every gal who manages to wear the "mother" hat and be herself at the same time.&nbsp; It's not easy to be the focus of someone's fantasies, physical needs, and developing personality 24/7.&nbsp; Raising children is a collaborative art, with the parents, the child, extended family, and the larger society all playing a role.<br /><br /><br />Some writers have started wishing "happy mother's day" to men, especially those with the courage and stamina to take on the critically important, early-childhood parenting that remains a bastion of feminine influences and expectations.&nbsp; Most mothers do not have the police called on them when they sit on a park bench supervising their child's play, for example.&nbsp; Fathers, uncles, aunts, in-laws, grandparents, and friendly neighbors who participate in raising healthy children, alongside those iconic mothers young and old, create a richer life for the family and our future.<br /><br />Keep it up.<br /><br />Erica Wisnerhttps://plus.google.com/109267019450950530497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193047404252392170.post-9948821021818572952016-05-15T20:22:00.000-07:002016-05-15T20:22:13.106-07:00Grandmothers' Secret Lives (Moms part 3 of 4)When I say "grandma," what comes to mind?<br /><br />Extra-emphatic smile lines and grey hair?&nbsp; The world's best babysitter, baking cookies, knitting booties, tending colic?&nbsp; "You drive like a grandma," implying excessive caution, or perhaps the terror of failing eyesight and reflexes?<br />A few people will have specific memories of meddling mentors, mother surrogates, or creative elders sweeping in like a fairy godmother.<br /><br />I do have vivid memories of knitting and sewing projects with both my grandmothers, both for fun, and for events like weddings and school plays.<br /><br />I also have is something that many people my age didn't.&nbsp; Our hallway wall sported portraits of my grandmother Mary in a lab coat, my great-grandmother with a superb horse.&nbsp; Grandma Enid's name once listed at #6 on the top-ten list for welding yardage in her Swan Island ship-yard.<br /><br />Seeing those examples before I was old enough to read meant that I grew up without certain mental barriers, with a wider field to imagine my own future.<br /><br />There was no sense that women couldn't, or shouldn't, or weren't capable, of ANYTHING.&nbsp; The unspoken assumptions that stopped many friends from considering a career in the sciences, or the trades, didn't seem to affect me in the same way. <br /><br />The lab coat didn't stop GrandMary from being elegant when she wanted to be, either.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://rwillritter.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/medmycmary.jpg?w=309&amp;h=353" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://rwillritter.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/medmycmary.jpg?w=309&amp;h=353" width="280" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This image first appeared on my brother's blog,<br />in his 2016 post entitled "Lady Science." <br /><a href="https://rwillritter.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">https://rwillritter.wordpress.com/</a></td></tr></tbody></table>The other thing I remember about that hallway is that while Grandmary looks attentively elegant in her pearls, the expression is almost bored compared with the lab picture.&nbsp; In her lab coat, she is not looking at the camera - she is handling some test tubes in a rack, and smiling to herself.<br /><br />The intrinsic pleasure of challenging work, done well, seems like a critical value to absorb in childhood (or as soon as possible thereafter).<br /><br />I don't have a photo of Grandma Enid in her welding gear, but I have vivid mental pictures from her stories.&nbsp; Stunts like driving off a feckless teen admirer by shocking him with her welding stinger, if possible while he was standing in a puddle; racing across the logs in the parking lot for the carpool home; swapping jobs with some of the bigger welders and squeezing into interior spaces that were more accessible to her small frame, until the supervisors insisted that everyone do their fair share of all types of assignments.&nbsp; <br /><br />Her talent for writing great stories made all her other careers come alive: being a 19-year-old high-production welder. A gifted seamstress whose family managed to publish her wedding banns on 2 weeks' notice, compelling her to come up with a wedding dress in the middle of what she thought was a normal 2-week visit home.&nbsp; Being a student of home architecture and a resourceful homemaker (she had to be, raising 4 children in 27 different homes while Grandpa's career on hydropower plants took them all over the Western USA).<br />She even wrote evocatively about the embarrassment of being a rural cousin bathing in a bucket during the Dust Bowl (it wiped out their indoor plumbing when the well filled with mud), and about the hallmarks of widowhood.<br /><br />Through all the stories, there run threads of humor, resilience, and the pluck to make the best of any situation.&nbsp; It was my privilege to spend a couple of Grandma Enid's final years in close contact, as a part-time caregiver, and she is one of the most intimate ancestors in my personal pantheon.<br /><br /><br />Mycology, welding, and throwing convention to the winds.&nbsp; My great-grandmother Nan was known for bypassing the hounds on a fox-hunt, and for starting a successful business after the family fortunes tanked in 1929.&nbsp; My great-great-grandmother accompanied her missionary husband to the Dakotas, figured out how to pluck chickens in kid opera gloves, and walked through a blizzard to give birth to her first child.<br /><br />My lady ancestors always set their own definition for "ladylike."<br /><br />My forefathers had their own creative quirks, but that's a story for another time. Erica Wisnerhttps://plus.google.com/109267019450950530497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193047404252392170.post-11321689652481039402016-05-08T01:02:00.000-07:002016-05-08T01:02:00.170-07:00Thank You, Mom (Part 2 of 4)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ff0_LIiXdHg/VslxPWYEb4I/AAAAAAAAIkA/_avY4LjYXu0/s1600/DSC_0273_Nanna_E.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ff0_LIiXdHg/VslxPWYEb4I/AAAAAAAAIkA/_avY4LjYXu0/s320/DSC_0273_Nanna_E.JPG" width="214" /></a></div>This is for my first-and-always mother, Eleanor.&nbsp; <br /><br /><br />I have plenty of second-hand anecdotes and fragments of my early life, including snow bunnies and snow dolphins, mountain walks identifying iconic Northwest plants, and little sailboats made of Tupperware with clay mast-steps and leaf or paper sails in the rare California rains.<br /><br />The earliest memory that I clearly recall is her absence.<br /><br />While she was giving birth to my next sister, at home, I was sent to the neighbors across the way for the night.&nbsp; It may have been my first night away from home (surely at 2 years old, there would not have been many sleep-overs yet? Unless you count being born, myself, in a hospital).<br /><br />I know this is my first memory, not my mother's, because I remember something she never knew: not fear, nor just separation or strangeness, but CANDY.<br /><br />These well-intentioned neighbors had an ENORMOUS jar of COLORFUL candy - I believe it was something like Jelly Bellies.&nbsp; Throughout the night, I seem to remember being allowed to choose one more candy from the jar a COUNTLESS number of times.&nbsp; Countless as only unforseen abundance can be to a pre-literate child - a candy jar taller than oneself, like a magical apparition to a child accustomed to firm, healthful, and thrifty limits.<br /><br />I don't know if I actually fell asleep.&nbsp; But regardless of the fussing and screaming that I'm sure they put up with, they would probably be pleased to know that the glow of hindsight they are remembered for their kindness and generosity (with CANDY!).<br /><br />In later years, I have given up sugar and candy.&nbsp; And I have discovered and begun appreciate a number of things about my mother that were not obvious to a child's perspective.&nbsp;&nbsp; <br /><br />A few highlights that I've been appreciating lately:<br /><br />Brilliance: anyone who knows my mother will tell you she's highly intelligent.&nbsp; This intelligence lends itself to practical problem-solving, prudent planning, and an endless creative study of the world.<br /><br />My mother is an avid student of languages, literature, and education in its original Greek sense: how to draw forth the best in people.<br /><br />I had the luxury of being raised by an expert in child development and adolescent psychology, and later getting to "talk shop" around the table.<br /><br />I think she would have been a darn good natural mother without all that the extra book work, but the combination of practice and theory made her both an excellent teacher and an excellent mother.<br /><br /><br />Although I'm sure I was occasionally sullen, I feel like I somehow missed my "rebel" phase due in part to her savvy and respectful handling of potential discord.&nbsp; Somehow it got into my head as early as 16 that my privileges came with responsibilities, and it would be... ill mannered? dishonorable? disloyal? to sneak out without permission after being trusted with the car keys and a room near the back door.&nbsp; I remember shocking my cousins at a lakeside vacation by letting my aunt know we were going for a midnight swim.&nbsp; It hadn't occurred to me that they would NOT inform their guardians about such things, or have their consent; and it hadn't occurred to them that I would need to be told not to "tell."<br /><br />So many families seem to have a merry war between the generations; but somehow I felt like my mom and I were always on the same side.<br /><br />In addition to speaking three or four languages well enough to be certified to teach them at the high school level, my mother routinely picks up another language, either for teaching, or for travel.&nbsp; After taking her translation abilities for granted in childhood, I didn't study these languages with her beyond a few months' dabbling. To my chagrin, at 22 years old, I finally realized I might one day want to travel without my mother along as a translator.&nbsp; <br /><br />My mother also studied how to bring out the best in herself: to find a peaceful center from which to ride out life's troubles.&nbsp; God knows there were many hurts, and I know more of them now, despite both my parents' relative success in shielding us from them early on.&nbsp; I remember her practising stretches from aikido class, and showing me how to find lines of force, or do rolls on the living room carpet.&nbsp; She taught me a number of meditation and comfort techniques that I still use today: massage or back-scratches, melting oneself from the toes all the way up to the head, imagining one's 'house of the soul', poetry and prayers, counting one's blessings. <br /><br />My mother was young, and has always remained beautiful.&nbsp; I was born when she was 21 years old.&nbsp; It's strange to think of myself as "older than my mother," though of course in another sense that will never happen.&nbsp; But now that 21-year-olds seem young to me, I notice a number of remarkable ways my mother was mature for her age.<br />- the courage to set her own path: perhaps not surprising in a child whose family marched her up the glacier-peaked Cascades at age 12, she knew in her teens that she wanted both a career and a family, and undertook both with great success.&nbsp; When she married my Catholic father, the bishops had their hands full dickering over her conversion.&nbsp; She always held authorities to a higher standard of integrity, with the same gentle firmness with which she confessed her "disappointment" in our childish ill deeds.<br />- the grace to be an excellent mother, and to accept help from others, after her own parents' untimely deaths.&nbsp; Her father died suddenly when she was 13; her mother died at 59 before my brother was born.&nbsp; Even before Grandmary passed away, my mother was on firmly friendly terms with my father's mother Enid, and I remember her later treating her as "Mom," a mentor and confidante.&nbsp; They remained steadfast friends, if a bit more circumspect, even after my parent's divorce 24 years later.&nbsp; <br />- the brilliance and perseverance to complete a Stanford bachelor's degree in 3 years, and follow up with a Masters while raising 4 children;<br />- and the practical sensibility to fix a garden gate, mend or sew as needed, and generally apply her gifts in a spirit of generous service.<br /><br />The Spider Says: But was she a "perfect" mother?&nbsp; Nobody is, of course.<br />If I had to pick a tragic flaw in my mother, it might be her self-imposed standards of excellence.<br /><br />There is no cost to tickle a happy baby; it's emotionally rewarding and politically correct.&nbsp; My mother can coo at babies with the best of them, but hand her a fussy one, and not only will she take it - she will most likely change the diaper or find the pinching pin, rather than just hand it back.<br /><br />Being a diaper-changer in a cooing world can get exhausting.&nbsp; If she can't be at her best, with enough energy to help, my mother will withdraw for some quiet time to herself.&nbsp; It's usually healthy self-preservation, unless it's not.<br /><br />When my parents divorced, I realized that I could not remember hearing them fight or argue through most of my childhood.&nbsp; And I suddenly realized that might not be such a good thing as I had imagined it to be.&nbsp; Maybe someone had tacitly turned a blind eye, or given up on some things, somewhere.&nbsp; Maybe some of those things were important enough to fight for.<br /><br />I remember actively seeking out other families who could indulge in a good loud fight without threatening their relationship, to see how they did it.&nbsp; (They did it in various ways, not necessarily any healthier than my parent's intense "discussions." But I did learn there are ways to fight fair, and am gradually learning to practice them in my own marriage.)<br /><br /><br />I'm grateful to have absorbed the practice of lifelong learning, of delight in words and ideas, and the pragmatism to cope with whatever life throws at you (while doing your best to provide fairness and decency for others).<br /><br />And I'm extremely grateful that my own parents are still around for weekly phone chats and visits, so that I can enjoy the beloved sound of my mother's voice, or the imprompetu intimacy of a walk in the rain.<br /><br />So happy Mother's Day, Mom.&nbsp; <br />A virtual walk in the woods, with May flowers, especially for you. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2tncWhm7n8Q/Vx21x5k8SLI/AAAAAAAAI2M/8fikPRIJgdAq2ZO3OwV0J323u7DS2M05ACLcB/s1600/Saskatoon-Woodland-1339.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="327" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2tncWhm7n8Q/Vx21x5k8SLI/AAAAAAAAI2M/8fikPRIJgdAq2ZO3OwV0J323u7DS2M05ACLcB/s400/Saskatoon-Woodland-1339.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />Erica Wisnerhttps://plus.google.com/109267019450950530497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193047404252392170.post-71385739956518797622016-04-21T01:34:00.000-07:002016-04-21T01:34:13.864-07:00Spring and TidesWe're pointed toward the ocean this month.&nbsp; Seeing the waves and abundant shore life is some compensation for missing part of garden season back home.<br /><br />We are musing on a couple different science topics.<br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-11wYhdewJsA/VrGFCdyLQKI/AAAAAAAAIeU/HJ-7OV4231g/s1600/Earth-Febr-1-2016.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="258" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-11wYhdewJsA/VrGFCdyLQKI/AAAAAAAAIeU/HJ-7OV4231g/s400/Earth-Febr-1-2016.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Animated real-time global conditions at <a href="http://earth.nullschool.net/">earth.nullschool.net</a></td></tr></tbody></table>One is coastal changes.&nbsp; Ernie is still passionate about the massive changes that are happening, and likely to increase, along our beautiful coastlines.&nbsp; It's not just a question of who gets beachfront property; the coast is always eroding, but even a small change in sea levels could massively change the current coastlines, affecting agriculture, fisheries, harbors, tides and currents, and the weather.<br /><br />While the weatherman may not be able to tell you months in advance which particular spring day will be fair for your wedding, you used to have pretty good confidence in which month to plant peas vs. beans, or use a tide chart to time your way through a tight spot, and know when and where to expect tuna, salmon, or crab season.&nbsp; Changing ocean currents sometimes move fish runs hundreds or thousands of miles off course (if the fish are surviving at all, which we devoutly hope they are).<br /><br />In the face of all this change, reclaiming predictability is pretty attractive.&nbsp; I think that's part of what drove our ancestors to make a religion out of calendars in the first place - Stonehenge, the Celtic sun-mazes, Mayan temples, the Egyptian pyramids, built on carefully-surveyed celestial axes and bearing enduring witness to the passage of the seasons as well as the ambitions of mortal man.<br /><br />This is not the first time change has confronted us.&nbsp; Our ancestors lived through ice ages, droughts, floods, fire, and plague; what's a few breadbaskets turning into fjords compared to historic miseries?&nbsp; But you can see where there is a very strong human resistance to change, and a craving for predictability and reliable rules for dealing with complex things like weather, growing conditions, and morality.<br /><br /><br />One of the most popular, and misunderstood, elements in nature are the effects of the moon and tides on the living, breathing Earth.&nbsp; (By which I mean the biosphere: the plants, animals, soils, swamps, reefs, and skintillions of tiny unseen beings who make up the growing, living, dying, feeling skin of this blue planet.)<br /><br />Many people understand the tides as caused by the moon pulling on the earth.&nbsp; That's somewhat true (both moon and sun affect tides).&nbsp; But I think we assume the timing is simpler than it actually is, because we are used to relying on the moon and sun as the main cog-wheels of our calendar.<br /><br />The waxing and waning of the moon is a great way to set rendezvous and festival dates in low-tech societies, because everyone can synchronize their schedule without a watch alarm.&nbsp; Rendezvous are not just for wild parties or philosophical societies: the longer "day" can be used for coordinated work like plowing, haying, and harvest home.&nbsp; Some almanacs or systems such as biodynamics give ever-more-complex ways to organize the growing calendar, defining certain days and even hours as "seed days," "root times," and fallow times.&nbsp; <br /><br />Having a schedule that reminds you what kinds of activities you might need to do this week, and helps you pick a time to do them, is very useful, especially in a situation where your normal instincts about weather can lead to undue optimism and early planting.&nbsp; <br /><br />However, I get a little twitchy when people justify these schedules because of the "tides" or the "pull of the moon." The majority of calendars reflect the waning and waxing light, and basically ignore the tidal forces.&nbsp; (The full moon and new moon are both aligned with the sun to produce higher and lower tides, compared with the out-of-alignment quarter moons).&nbsp;<br />It's conceivable that the <a href="http://www.howplantswork.com/2009/07/25/does-the-moon-affect-plants-part-2-moonlight-and-biorhythms/">moonlight may affect some types of plants</a>.<br /><br />But what really prickles me is that this simplified "explanation" for lunar influence, "just like it pulls the tides," ignores how complex and rich a pattern the tides actually are.&nbsp; The tides are different from one place to another, even from one side of an island to another.<br /><br />If you don't have any idea of the full complexity of the tides, which after all are basically just sloshing water, how much more are you likely to mis-understand the intricate forces that coax many different kinds of plants to their best growth?<br /><br />People with woo-woo garden theories nevertheless often have spectactular gardens, possibly due to caring enough to pay close attention to their plants.&nbsp; "Listening" and "talking" to plants, whether there is any scientific basis for it or not, seems to open the mind up to notice what's needed and support the plants in a timely way.&nbsp; Sceptics who don't garden are not well-positioned to offer advice.&nbsp; But it's still annoying to be quoted pseudo-scientific justifications for folk practices, whether they work or not.&nbsp; There's been a lot of bad science done around biodynamics, in particular: biased studies or compilations that only list favorable outcomes; claiming statistical significance by growing large numbers of seedlings at the same time, but without controlling for other variables like weather or temperature, or by comparison to any other years.&nbsp; Bad science doesn't disprove a pet theory, but it doesn't prove it either, and it often grates on science-minded ears as an annoying waste of time. <br /><br />I am not a biology buff, and my garden is far from exemplary.&nbsp;<br />But I <i>have</i> been learning about the tides, and it's fascinating.<br /><br />If you look at tide tables, the most extreme tides are generally at the new moon, when moon and sun's pull line up.&nbsp; These will be the "spring" tides, both highest and lowest tides.&nbsp; The full moon has relatively regular tides. During the quarters in between you can get uneven tides where one low or high will be different than the other for that day.&nbsp; <br /><br />You can look up tides for different coastal areas here: <a href="http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/tide_predictions.html?gid=132" target="_blank">http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.<wbr></wbr>gov/tide_predictions.html?gid=<wbr></wbr>132</a>&nbsp; (they can be off by several hours for places under the same moon phase, due to differences in the shape of the bays and basins and coastline.)<br /><br />The tides don't actually race around the world keeping up with the moon - water waves simply can't move that fast, they would have to go over a thousand miles an hour.&nbsp; Instead, it's more like a dancer spinning plates, where repeated motions create a sloshing effect.&nbsp; If you want to play around with this, the easiest (and most fun) way is to sit or lie in the bathtub, then rhythmically flap one hand back and forth in place.&nbsp; Sometimes nothing much happens.&nbsp; Sometimes if you hit the right rhythm, the whole tub starts sloshing water out both ends.&nbsp; If you shift position (sit up, or lie down), the rhythms change.&nbsp; Your body is like the coastline and undersea shapes that define the basins, or "bathyscape."&nbsp; Your flapping hand is like the regular pull of sun and moon, working the waters into a sloshing rhythm.<br /><br />The ocean tides get nudged into circular currents, or sloshing extremes, or pivot points of near-perfect stillness, based on the shapes of the continents and ocean basins.&nbsp; Some areas, like Alaska or New Zealand, have extreme tides.&nbsp; Some, like the Gulf of <span class="il">Mexico</span> and the Mediterranean, have almost none (that's part of why hurricane storm surges are so devastating in the Gulf, their coast is not adapted to sloshing water).&nbsp; <br /><img align="left" alt="" class="CToWUd a6T" src="https://ci6.googleusercontent.com/proxy/ncGMEjSeo18kD9DiboW4KVIR3tuCn28ARoupKGx3eLfZ9Ar8AL6ab8nUoqO67zOlVv1AhoyZIWme6HDBoMw67xvKT30qhI53EwA4iw=s0-d-e1-ft#http://www.hhi.hr/uploads/static_images/1269542140.gif" tabindex="0" /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.hhi.hr/en/projects/viewproject/11" target="_blank">http://www.hhi.hr/en/projects/<wbr></wbr>viewproject/11</a><br /><br /><br />The tides have patterns, and the patterns tend to mostly repeat with the lunar cycles, but they are a complex dance.&nbsp; The tides don't simply 'wax and wane' like the Moon's light.&nbsp; The ocean does get pulled by the moon, but it doesn't bulge at full moon and shrink during the new moon.&nbsp; There's always the same amount of water, and it returns roughly to its own level one way or another.&nbsp;<br />You can have big influences due to current weather (storm tides), undersea earthquakes, or big ice-sheet or land slides even.&nbsp; "Tidal waves" are more often called "tsunami" now by scientists: these are seismic-driven waves due to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, or big land-slides, with no tidal influence involved.&nbsp; However, tsunami are big and broad, and they drop and flood into harbors like a very fast and extreme tide, rather than being a surface-level curling wave like wind-driven fetch.&nbsp; Storm waves batter and froth; "tidal waves" can funnel into certain harbors like a tidal bore, as if the ocean had changed its mind about where to allow a shoreline.<br /><br />The tides are wild and mysterious, and hard to predict without a chart.&nbsp; Those charts are based on years and years of experience, records going back centuries for many ports.&nbsp; But once you are tuned into your local tides, you may be able to use your own observations to take a guess at the current tide based on the time of day and phase of the moon. &nbsp; I feel pretty good if I can get within an hour or two this way - that's close enough to schedule a harvesting trip or keep me out of trouble on a coastal hike.&nbsp; The tide charts are way more reliable, but it's worth trying to learn the local patterns if you're interested, in case you are ever caught without a current chart.<br /><br />If the tides don't line up from one coast to another, I don't imagine that all plants will respond the same way to the "lunar pull" across continents and climate zones.&nbsp; Or for that matter, that they would respond more strongly to "lunar pull" than to the sun's stronger pull, or the Earth's even stronger gravitational pull.&nbsp; If I had to guess, I would imagine that the plant feels a very slight fluctuation in the earth's effective gravity.<br />&nbsp;If you're just talking about upward 'pull,' the sun has 175 times more pull than the moon.&nbsp; And they are both pulling on us at all times, sometimes up and sometimes down.&nbsp; It's just relatively the same across all the earth.&nbsp; The daily small difference in pull, as our side of the Earth turns toward or away from the sun, is about 44% as much as the moon's difference in pull.<br /><a href="http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/tide.html" target="_blank">http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.<wbr></wbr>gsu.edu/hbase/tide.html</a>.<br /><br /><br />The strongest pull would be when the moon is closest, and when it's lined up near or exactly opposite the sun, at the same time: 'supermoons'.&nbsp; <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supermoon" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/<wbr></wbr>Supermoon</a> <br /><br />Factors like temperature have a much more measurable effect on plant growth (and insect and fish maturation - to the point where hatcheries and stream volunteers talk about "degree-days" to maturity).&nbsp; Weather affects temperature.&nbsp; Some animals definitely can feel and respond to barometric pressure, as do some types of plants (Ernie has a "weather leg" that pains him with pressure changes, and he recalls some type of orchid that opens and closes with changes in the barometric pressure).<br /><br />Some flowers called "moonflowers" are just round and white; a few of these (and others) bloom mainly at night.&nbsp; A very few are said to bloom mainly during the full moon.&nbsp; However, there's a good argument to be made that this behavior could evolve to attract specialized night-flying pollinators, like the more common night-blooming behavior.&nbsp; Some pollinators may be particularly active or accurate in finding the flowers with more moonlight.&nbsp; The idea that it's moonlight, rather than some kind of gravitational pull, that sets the cues for this dance would be reinforced if the plants could be mis-cued by artificial light, or by variations in day length.&nbsp; There are a handful of such species I found <a href="http://www.ehow.com/list_7535190_kind-open-during-full-moon.html">mentioned online (on a less-than-impressive eHow post</a> , or the more ordinary evening- and night-blooming flowers listed here on Ava's Flowers <a href="http://blog.avasflowers.net/flowers-that-bloom-in-the-moonlight">http://blog.avasflowers.net/flowers-that-bloom-in-the-moonlight</a>).&nbsp; All three of those said to bloom best in the full moon (<i>datura inoxia</i>, one of several plants commonly called "moonflower;" night-blooming jasmine or <i>cestrum nocturnum</i>, and night scented stock (<i>Matthiola longipetala</i>) are tropical or subtropical plants, which prefer roughly 6- to-12-hour days with warm or hot temperatures.&nbsp; The last one is a desert plant blooming mainly in spring and fall (12-hour days).<br /><br />I'm impressed by serious gardeners in any case - and these plants appear to have a lot of strict requirements besides the lavishly regular lunar cycle.&nbsp; <br /><br />However, one thing that excellent gardeners often share, and I fall short, is a reliable sense of time and time management.&nbsp; If gardeners sometimes build mystical stories around their all-important calendar or almanac, a little poetry to get the juices flowing and help you stick to your plan, there's nothing wrong with that (unless it makes you less open to reliable, proven methods that might be of more help).&nbsp; So if a lunar planting, weeding, sprouting, and rooting cycle is working for you, keep doing it.&nbsp; <br /><br />&nbsp;Lunar cycles are a good predictor of changes in animal activity levels (including humans), possibly due to availability of nocturnal light and enhanced twilight.&nbsp; This light/activity connection, which also affects a LOT of nocturnal pollinators, could be one reason why some very successful gardening methods and guides have used the moon.&nbsp; Full moons have been used historically for extended work hours during harvest, and for festivals where participants might travel and celebrate longer together without fear of being caught in the dark o the way home.<br /><br />Many gardeners are women, or live with women; our menstrual cycles famously synchronize with the moon.&nbsp; It is worth tracking our own cycles. Any given woman may feel more productive in certain lunar phases than others - though I would expect this to vary person to person.<br />I have had some difficult years when somehow EVERY heavy-lifting workshop and over half our air-travel dates managed to line up with the wrong "time of the month."<br />While some ancient cultures put taboos on menstruating women participating in certain activities (cooking, handling sacred items, etc), these may be related to harmonious concentration, intense arguments, or the possibility of blood stains attracting scavengers.&nbsp; In the modern context, menstruation cycles can usually be managed, they're just an extra burden to bear while working on a time-sensitive project.<br /><br />However, there's one more reason why lunar cycles might be a popular element in garden planning guides and almanacs. <br />The moon has strong mythological connotations, and has been part of both calendars and legends for longer than we can remember.&nbsp; It's attractive; it's sexy; it's mysterious; it's a little risque.&nbsp; And in the world of marketing, sex sells.&nbsp; A calendar that marks out the full moon, or gives poetic lunar instructions for getting through the tasks of the week, might simply be more interesting. <br /><br />I'd rather take my poetry at full throttle, with moon and flowers fleshed out in beauty, scents, strong feelings, and layered symbolism reflecting my human needs and longings.&nbsp; And I'd rather let my science explanations stand or fall on their own merits, humble as science should be, proven or disproven by results over time.<br /><br />If the moonflower likes moonlight best, so be it.&nbsp; If it's happy with a 12-hour daylight cycle, a little evening coolth, and maybe a grow-light boost when I want to party out of season, then we can have fun together that way too.<br /><br />And if planting your seeds on Monday and Tuesday this week, but not until Thursday or Friday of next week, works for you, then do it.<br /><br />I find that my seeds get planted "now" or not at all.&nbsp; There are enough challenges in semi-arid gardening while working out-of-town gigs; I don't need a mystical schedule to tell me I'm doing it wrong.<br />From what I've seen, plants grow very well for people who pay attention to their individual needs and their common routines (like water, temperature, sun and shade).&nbsp; They can also grow well for people who believe in all kinds of moons and fairies, <i>as long as they also get out in the garden regularly</i> and give the plans good physical care.<br /><br />But for those who, like me, are juggling too many interests and obligations to regularize our garden time, there's a risk that a demanding garden schedule could become an excuse not to plant anything at all. <br /><br />If you don't have any of those challenges, and you see some difference between Tuesday's and Thursday's plants despite perfect control of water and temperature, then you have the luxury of refining your methods on your own terms.&nbsp; I have had a few personal experiences with "talking to plants," or more specifically asking permission and listening for an answer, that take the edge off my skepticism about this whole sort of thing.&nbsp; But I'm still&nbsp; <br /><br />I'm a sailor in training, and an incurable science geek.&nbsp; Being 'in tune with nature' feels good in any case, but it matters even more if you're surfing the tides in and out of harbors, and trying to keep track of wind and current effects on your course.&nbsp; Sailors can get pretty picky about the accuracy of their nature-based information.<br /><br />I've been learning boatloads of this stuff lately.&nbsp; It's amazing.<br /><br />Yours,<br />Erica WErica Wisnerhttps://plus.google.com/109267019450950530497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193047404252392170.post-13944201733083841142016-04-10T14:30:00.003-07:002016-04-11T04:02:22.788-07:00Final 24 hours on Kickstarter.<h3>All the Goodies! </h3>It is hard to keep straight all these Kickstarter reward packages.<br />What is everyone else doing?<br /><br />The most popular reward level is $35.&nbsp; At that level, you get:<br /><br class="" /><b class="">"The Book"<br /><img alt="" src="http://newsociety.com/var/newsociety/storage/images/temp-working/the-rocket-mass-heater-builder-s-guide/image-front-cover/1003637-8-eng-CA/Image-front-cover_coverbookpage.jpg" height="125" id="id547859784" width="100" /><br />+ the "Fire Starter Rewards"</b><br /><img alt="FireStarter rewards - now with pictures!" class="" id="id683791815" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HU1KsHrXQlk/VwqyaZKRbgI/AAAAAAAAIx0/32biBfheXUMFBZLS9jo4YX0LqCSLi3Eag/s1600/FireStarter.png" style="height: 90px; width: 657px;" /><br />In other words, you get:<br /><ul><li>- The Rocket Mass Heater Builder's Guide, paperback first edition</li><li>- The Art of Fire ebook</li><li>- Fire Science DVD, streaming version</li><li>- Care and Feeding of Rocket Mass Heaters micro-doc</li><li>- Builder's Guide to Mud ebook</li><li>- 3 mini-stoves under $3 ebook</li><li>- 3 mini-stoves under $10 ebook</li><li>- Simple Shelter ebook</li><li>- Teeny Tiny Mass Heater Plans</li><li>- A new DIY project each month for 2016 (8 projects from May to December)</li><li>- Recipes for Ernie's fabulous chocolate truffles</li></ul><br />More than double the value of the book.<br /><br />A lot of folks are upgrading to the $50+ levels, to get the stretch goal bonus items for serious builders (<i class="">Bitter Lessons</i> eBook and <i class="">Innovators' Cookbook</i><i class="">)</i>.&nbsp; Or maybe they are just stretching toward Shrimp, Fish, a Fat Rabbit, Mysterious Manifolds, Rocket Wood Cook Stoves, and<br /><br class="" /><b class=""><i>Rocket Wood Cook Stoves and Heaters: The Cleanest, Greenest, Most Elegant Wood Burning Stoves in the World</i></b><br /><br class="" />Delivering all these new goodies is going to keep us busy from now til Christmas.<br /><br class="" />Don't wait.<br />&nbsp;<a class="" href="http://ea.newscpt.com/_la.php?&amp;nid=2668884&amp;sid=[sid]&amp;lid=11008409&amp;enc=687474703a2f2f6b636b2e7374&amp;tg=229WnXq" id="id830469759" style="color: #0800ff; color: #333332; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; text-decoration: underline;" target="_self">Click here for the Kickstarter: http://kck.st/229WnXq</a><br /><br class="" />You should read <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/rmhbuildersguide/the-rocket-mass-heater-builders-guide/posts/1544102" target="_blank">Update #12</a>.<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9yQPNov_ngo/Vwtt_TfSb4I/AAAAAAAAIys/ahX-84OAtucOOgAzlkN3iHQ7pG-3N_CUg/s1600/marts%2B13%2B001%2B%2528Small%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9yQPNov_ngo/Vwtt_TfSb4I/AAAAAAAAIys/ahX-84OAtucOOgAzlkN3iHQ7pG-3N_CUg/s200/marts%2B13%2B001%2B%2528Small%2529.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Modular (!) Rocket Mass Heater <br />by Abrahamsson</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><br /><br /><br />Thanks for reading,<br />Erica W<br /><br class="" /><img alt="Seeking builder or owner information for the double-rocket Plancha Kitchen" class="" src="http://www.permies.com/t/22550/a/8243/double%20install.PNG" height="354" id="id456527116" width="511" /><br />P.S: If you know the owners or builder of this beautiful rocket kitchen island, please help us find them.&nbsp; Rumor says it's in Brazil. Erica Wisnerhttps://plus.google.com/109267019450950530497noreply@blogger.com0